The Messer Chronicles: This Most Auspicious Meeting
by Meum Cerebrum Nocet
Summary: Every great adventure has its beginning, the event that started it all. For the Marauders, their great adventure began with a letter and a trip on a train. [Book 1]
1. Prologue: That Fateful Night

_**Summary:**_ _Every great adventure has its beginning, the event that started it all. For the Marauders, their great adventure began with a letter and a trip on a train._

* * *

 **The Messer Chronicles**

 **This Most Auspicious Meeting**

* * *

 _Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose_

 _~Tennessee Williams_

* * *

 **Prologue**

 **That Fateful Night**

* * *

 _When darkness turns to light_

 _It ends tonight_

 _It ends tonight_

 _~All American Rejects, It Ends Tonight_

* * *

He sat in his favourite chair in the cozy sitting room, occasionally glancing out the front window at the world outside. He'd never really been a part of that world, even though he'd grown up less than a ten-minute walk from his current spot. The world outside was one that occasionally celebrated magic, as was the case on that particular night, but didn't truly believe in it. His world was magic.

Growing up, he would never have changed his position, firmly rooted in the magical world, for the muggle one. His world had always seemed more privileged and exceptional, filled with the ease and wonder of wizardry. However, the closer he got to adulthood, the more he realized how wrong his image of the differences of the two worlds was.

Now, twenty-one years old, and encompassed entirely in a brutal war, James Potter wished he could switch worlds, would give anything to be a carefree muggle. That night, the inhabitants of muggle England were in the midst of celebrating the joyous and magical holiday that was All Hallows Eve. No one outside his window had an obvious care in the world. Passed his window, James watched muggle children dressed in costumes excitedly gathering sweets and treats from the houses throughout the small village of Godric's Hollow. Despite the sizeable magical population that lived in and around the birthplace of legendary wizard Godric Gryffindor, the children were still able to acquire a fair amount of candy.

They weren't worried about a war, or dark genocidal wizards. They weren't in fear for their lives, or unsure of who they could trust or who they couldn't. They were comparatively worry-free. And James wanted nothing more than to be them.

In that moment, it was the muggle children's innocence and joy that James wished he and his young family could experience.

That wasn't to say that the Potters weren't happy and very much in love with each other, but the fact that the most powerful villainous wizard of the day had put James' infant son on his hit-list hung over the trio, ominously and oppressively. It was hard to be truly joyful when you feared for your son's life.

"Look, Harry. Daddy's deep in thought again. Most likely brooding over the fact that he's stuck in the house with no fun us. We're just not as interesting as the Marauders, Harry. We'll just have to accept it." Lily's cheery voice echoed through the silence of the night. She carefully picked her way across the carpeted floor, strewn with Harry's young toddler toys. James turned from the window to watch the two people he loved most in the world.

"Don't listen to your mum, Harry. If she'd only agree to go along with my jokes on Ms. Bagshot, I'd think she was the funniest person in the whole world. It's her fault, really." For his part, Harry seemed to pay his playfully bantering parents no heed; instead, he was intently focused on squirming out of Lily's arms and getting to the toys on the ground. Lily rolled her eyes at the pudgy child in her arms before depositing him in James' lap.

"I've got a little cleaning up to do. Will you mind your son for a moment?" She kissed Harry on the top of his head and leaned in quickly to kiss her husband. She then turned to the small living room with an appraising look. After fishing her wand out of the pocket of her robes, she swished it through the air and sent the toys flying. They landed neatly in the colourful buckets that line one of the walls. Having temporarily tidied the living room, Lily disappeared into the kitchen to continue cleaning.

James, with Harry nestled safely on his lap, turned back to the window.

"You se the children out there, Harry?" he asked, motioning out into the night, "They're celebrating Halloween, the most magical of holidays. Muggles dress up in costumes and collect candy from their neighbours. Yes, it does sound like an excellent celebration. Why yes, I do wish I could go out there with you and join in the festivities. It is such a nice night, after all."

James continued on having a one-sided conversation with his infant son, explaining the wonders of the muggle world and their traditions around Halloween. He quickly became so wrapped up in it that he failed to notice the slow disappearance of children from the street. He was so focused on telling tales to his young son that he didn't notice the sky darkening to an almost black or the fog beginning to roll in. It wasn't until a black, shadow-like figure passed in front of the window that James finally tore his attention from his son and looked back out the window.

That's when he saw it.

A lone, hooded figure, much too tall to be a child out Trick-or-Treating, was slowly making his way towards the house. Instantly, James was on edge. The figure seemed to exude foreboding and a chill ran up his spine. For a few seconds, James was rooted in place, waiting to see what the figure would do next.

He was pretty sure he was being paranoid. His house was invisible except to those who had been told about it by their secret keeper. Peter would not have told anyone about it; James believed whole-heartedly in his friends. Still, the figure seemed to be looking right at James' front door.

Out of an abundance of caution, James stood and began searching for his wand. Almost as soon as he remembered he'd left it upstairs in the bedroom, feeling no need to have it close in his own home, the figure lifted his arm. James saw the thin, stick-like object protruding from beneath the long sleeve of the figure's cloak and knew.

He knew that his worst nightmare was coming true.

"Lily!" James called, panic rising in his voice. Lily obviously heard it because she apparated to his side. He thrust his young son into her arms. "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him. Go! Run! I'll hold him off! Go!" Lily stood still for a beat, looking at James' wandless hands.

"Go!" he urged one final time. This time, she relented and, clutching Harry tight to her chest, disappeared deeper into the house.

As her dark red hair slipped behind the wall, a curse hit the front door, causing the house to shake. Not sure what he would do, but knowing he had to do something, James steeled himself. The next few seconds passed in a blur.

The door burst open.

The figure entered and lowered its hood.

A face, barely human, sneered at him.

Then finally, a flash of green and everything faded to black.


	2. Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor

_A thing long expected takes the form of the unexpected when at last it comes._

 _~Mark Twain_

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 **An Unexpected Visitor**

* * *

It was almost completely silent expect for the quiet ticking of the clock that hung above his warm and beaten desk. His room was almost pitch black, only lit by a streetlight from outside. Counting the ticks, he could tell it was well past midnight. It was now later than he'd ever stayed up and officially his eleventh birthday. This would be the year that would define his life from that point forward.

This would be the day, his birthday, that he would receive his Hogwarts letter and embark on his journey into the wizarding world; or he wouldn't receive the letter and finally and officially be shut out of the magical world forever. There was a lot of pressure, granted it was mostly self-imposed, put on the next few hours. As a result, Remus Lupin lay completely and utterly awake in his small bed.

Getting into Hogwarts would mean, on some level, acceptance of every part of his being, even those less savoury parts. It would mean friends and peers to surround him for the first time. It would mean everything.

Images of running through halls at Hogwarts and staying up late doing schoolwork in the common room, relayed to him from his parents, filled his head. Each new joy filled moment created in his mind featured Remus surrounded by groups of his friends. They were extremely comforting and, despite their limited possibility of coming true, Remus still fell asleep with a smile on his face.

* * *

The next morning, Remus awoke from his peaceful and even joy filled dreams. The sun filtered through his window and warmed the floor of his room. Cheerful songbirds chirped and sang from outside his house. Even the sounds of children playing and enjoying the early spring morning air made it up to where he lay. Overall, the day seemed to predict happiness and good times. Remus, though not particularly a fan or believer in the arts surrounding divination, hoped it was an omen for what would be awaiting him downstairs.

At least he hadn't awoken to a dark and brooding storm. That would definitely be a bad sign.

Hoping to find more information on whether or not he had received a letter, Remus strained his ears. He was attempting to discern sounds of an owl in flight from the other bird sounds. However, all he could hear were melodic chirps and a mash of bird wings. There were no distinct owl sounds.

Despite the unlikelihood of him actually being successful in searching out a nearby owl, his failure still caused a pit to form in his stomach. What if he couldn't hear an owl because there wasn't one in the vicinity? No owl meant no letter. No letter meant no acceptance to Hogwarts. No Hogwarts meant he would never become a full-fledged wizard and would be relegated to the status akin to, or even below, that of a squib.

Terrified by the prospect of having no future past his current existence, Remus decided to put off his discovery. Instead of getting out of bed, dressing, brushing his teeth, and heading down to breakfast as would be the norm for him, he continued to lie in bed. He picked up his most current novel, about a young boy solving mysteries and over-coming immense odds. The fact that someone so similar to himself could battle against such difficulties as a skilled Legimens trying to figure out the numerous secrets the young boy held and successfully keeping the older wizard out, gave Remus great hope for his own battles.

He quickly lost himself in the exploits of this young and talented wizard. For the briefest of moments, he didn't have to worry about his problem ruining and ending his life and potential. He didn't have to stress about what his future would be like, even if he got into Hogwarts. He could just focus on the wizard in his books and his always resolved problems. In books, life could be just as complex and messy as it was in real life, but it was usually resolved in a nice, neat bow by the end.

This was of great comfort for a young boy with such uncertainty over major life decisions and events.

* * *

Spending hours on end in his room quietly reading was not uncharacteristic for Remus. Ever since his fourth birthday he'd lived a fairly solitary life. As a result, his parents left him alone and allowed him to be with his books. The fact was the main reason why, when his mother burst into his room, he'd assumed something terrible, like a death or disfiguring accident, had occurred.

"Remus, darling!" she exclaimed, shaking as she stood in his doorway. His mother, Hope, was a fairly petite woman, in both height and general build. She had a heart shaped face, with a warm smile and stunning green eyes. Her eyes at that moment seemed to be darting around the room, not able to rest in one place. Her hair, a shimmering dark blonde, was currently whisked up into a messy do, most likely a result of her doing housework only moment before. She wore a simple frock that was well worn, even tattered and ripped in some places and patched together as best as Hope could. Despite the slightly shabby state of her clothing, Hope Lupin still seemed to exude a presence and beauty.

Remus dropped his book and quickly stood. He began moving towards his mother, planning to offer her comfort as she relayed her horrible news. "A most amazing this has happened!" Hope continued, moving in to her son's small room.

Remus froze at her very unexpected words. He had begun preparing himself for bad news. The word amazing was most unanticipated. Amazing meant good, wonderful, miraculous. It was not a word usually used in relation to Remus.

"What do you mean?" Remus managed to force out. Along with his physical progress, the strangeness of his mother's message had caused some sort of malfunction in his brain. He found it extremely hard to process words and thoughts, having to work extremely hard to get out even simple thoughts.

"A most unexpected visitor has arrived with some fantastic news. Hurry and get dressed; wear your nicest clothes, Remus. Your father and I will keep him company while you prepare. You mustn't doddle either. Quickly dear, quickly!" His mother pushed him towards his dresser, then turned and left as fast as she'd arrived in his room. The shaking that his mother had been doing was not out of sorrow, but out of anxiety, excitement, and nervous anticipation.

Not sure what awaited him, but feeding off his mother's energy, he quickly dressed in his best suit. It wasn't a fancy or high-end suit. It was frayed and stained in a few spots. However, it was the most expensive suit his parents, with their limited means, could afford. As a result, it was one of his most treasured items.

Standing in his small room in his suit, Remus took a moment to appraise himself. He was short, though he had no real reference of what the average height of a ten or eleven year old should be. He just felt short. He was extremely skinny, though not to the point where his bones were clearly evident under his skin. Speaking of his skin, it was pale and gave him a sickly appearance. The sickliness got worse once a month, but he never really looked healthy. He spent so much time indoors that his skin rarely received any colour. His hair was sandy brown and hung just to his ears. It was messy from lying on his bed and he made a mental note to run a brush through it before he headed downstairs. His eyes were by far his favourite feature. They were the same colour and shape as his mother's stunning green ones and they had a slight mischievous and inquisitive quality to them that Remus thought was an excellent parallel to his personality.

Once dressed in his nicest suits, his hair combed and his teeth brushed, Remus took a deep breath and then headed down the stairs to meet the visitor that had sent his mother into such a tizzy. Halfway down the steps, Remus paused. A realization had just come to him.

Like him, his parents were most likely concerned about whether or not he would get his letter of acceptance to Hogwarts. What if they'd believed that the odds were he would not get his letter? They would probably want to distract him or make him feel better, and would set up a surprise to accomplish that. Was this mystery visitor some sort of surprise to make him feel better about not getting into Hogwarts?

But when his mother had come up to retrieve him, there hadn't been a trace of sorrow or disappointment. Had he actually gotten a letter?

Questions and opposing ideas and thoughts rattled around in his head. Feeling overwhelmed, Remus had to sit down on the steps and calm himself. He had so much riding on this moment that he was afraid it would consume him. He took a few slightly rattled breaths before he was able to take a full deep breath. He continued to sit on the stairs, breathing deeply until his mother called out.

"Remus, darling, are you nearly ready?" Her voice brought him out of his thoughts. It was time he stopped hiding from his future, time he stopped putting off the inevitable. There was only one way that his questions would be answered, that the uncertainty, and the stress it caused, would finally go away.

With a newfound resolve, Remus stood from the stairs and headed into the small sitting room, ready to face his future, whatever that may be.

He honestly wasn't sure what he had expected to see in the sitting room, but the sight that played out before his eyes was one of the strangest. His father, a tall man with long spindly limbs, was crammed next to his shorter mother on the small sofa. Remus had always enjoyed the similarities between his father and him. They had the same hair colour and the same skinny build. Lyall had light grey eyes that held the same inquisitive quality as Remus'. That morning he was wearing slacks and a button up short sleeve shirt, his least threadbare outfit and one that Lyall only wore when meeting important people.

Because the Lupins did not have a lot of visitors, they'd bought just enough furniture for their small family. The sofa was usually where Remus sat and it was too small for him, even at just eleven, to lie across. When he did, his head and feet hung off either side. As a result, seeing two adults, one at least six feet and the other about five feet five inches was quite the sight to behold.

The small room held only three other pieces of furniture. The small, warn coffee table that sat in the middle of the room was laden with treats and sweets and a steaming teapot. Two very comfortable armchairs, the usual places of his parents, took up the rest of the room. His mother's pink, floral armchair was empty, and Remus took it as the spot where he was to sit. Sitting in his father's green, fairly battered chair was on older man. He looked vaguely familiar to Remus, but he couldn't place from where he might know him. The man was of a comparable height to his father. He had on long, elegant royal purple robes. They were probably the most expensive things Remus had ever seen. This man, whoever he was, obviously held an important position that afforded him a fair amount of wealth. He had a long silver beard and equally long, equally silver hair. His eyes were a twinkling, shimmering blue, though partially hidden by half-moon spectacles.

Overall, he looked kind and welcoming. Despite the fact that he was a stranger, Remus felt at ease in his presence. All the worries and questions that had been swirling around in his head only moments prior were suddenly gone. At peace for the first time in about a month, Remus slowly made his way to sit in his mother's chair. He glanced over at his parents one final time. Both radiated with excitement and had huge smiles on their face.

"Hello, Remus," the older man spoke. His voice was as kind and welcoming as his face looked, "my name is Albus Dumbledore. Do you know who I am?" The addition of the name to the somewhat familiar face sparked a memory for Remus.

"You're the Headmaster of Hogwarts!" he exclaimed, excitement building in his thin form. Surely the headmaster wouldn't have come, in person, to his small house if he was delivering bad news. His rejection of entry into Hogwarts could have come in a letter, or even been communicated through the lack of an acceptance letter. No, Albus Dumbledore had to be in his sitting room to deliver good news.

"Yes," Dumbledore responded, a chuckle in his voice that reached up to his eyes, "indeed I am. Do you know why I have come to visit you today?" Remus, with his growing excitement, was a little annoyed that Dumbledore was drawing this process out. Why couldn't he just come out and say whether or not he would be going to Hogwarts in a few months time?

"I guess that it has something to do with Hogwarts. Today is my eleventh birthday; the day I am supposed to get my letter welcoming me to the school. Are you here to give me my letter?" Hope, something that he hadn't truly let himself feel in years, filled his voice. His eyes grew large and he moved to sit on the edge of his seat.

Dumbledore chuckled once more. He then reached into his deep purple robes and pulled out a medium-sized tan envelope. Remus nearly jumped from the chair and flew across the room, but managed to restrain himself. Instead, he anxiously waited for the older man to hand over the envelope. Remus then tore into the parchment and greedily read its contents.

 _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

 _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sor. Chf. Warlock,_

 _Supreme Mugwump, International Confed of Wizards)_

 _Dear Mr. Lupin,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term beings on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Cornelius Greensleigh_

 _Deputy Headmaster_

Remus finished the letter and looked up at Dumbledore, disbelief clear across his face. His mother, from her place squished against his father, began softly crying.

"Is this- is this true?" Remus asked softly.

"Of course, Remus. Hogwarts would be honoured to have you learning in our halls." A genuine, warm smile crossed Dumbledore's face. However, despite the letter in his hand and the words Dumbledore had just spoken, there was still a feeling in the pit of Remus' stomach that didn't allow him to be truly excited.

"But what about," Remus leaned towards Dumbledore and dropped his voice, "my problem? Surely that would disqualify me. I could be a danger to the other students." A knowing smile crossed Dumbledore's face.

"Don't you worry, Mr. Lupin. We have figured it all out. You will have nothing to worry about." At that Remus collapsed back into his mother's soft floral chair, clutching the envelope close to his chest. He would be going to Hogwarts! He was a wizard! His problem didn't disqualify him; it had been dealt with. He couldn't believe it.

"Hogwarts," he whispered, enjoying the sound and shape of the word. He then turned to his parents, his mother still softly crying and his father absolutely beaming. "I'm going to Hogwarts!"


	3. Chapter 2: The Wrong Sort of People

_Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having all the facts._

 _~E. B. White_

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 **The "Wrong" Sort of People**

* * *

The foursome materialized in an alleyway, out of view of those on the street beyond. The darkness of the alley ensured that no wandering eyes caught a glimpse of the strange, unbelievable sight. People suddenly appearing in a spot where they, or for that matter nothing, had been only seconds before was certainly unbelievable. Luckily, the foursome materialized and no one around was any the wiser.

The tallest figure of the small group grumbled under her breath about the situation. Two of the others readily latched on to the topic, adding their own grievances. The fourth member, however, stood apart from the small group. He added nothing. Instead he looked longingly at the people passing by on the street.

"Cowering in the dark, dank alleyways like rats. Reduced to the shadows. It's undignified and unbecoming of our people. Something needs to be done," the taller individual, the sole woman, spoke. Her face, twisted in disgust, was very angular and harsh-looking. She looked as if she was angry or upset, which might have been a result of her perpetual display of this emotion. She had long black hair piled on top of her head in an elegant, old-fashioned hairstyle. Even standing in the dirty alley, she had a regal air about her and the way she carried herself.

"Yes, dear. It is terrible, what we have been forced to do to protect those dirty, filthy muggles. What about us? What about how we should be treated and protected? We are worth ten, nay, a hundred, of those disgusting filth." The older man of the group added with enthusiasm. He was shorter than the woman. He had beady, accusatory eyes that looked down upon all around him. His hair was black, though greying in places and receding from his forehead in others. He, like the woman, held himself with a deeply ingrained nobility.

The third member of the group, readily eating up each disparaging comment that came from the mouths of the older two, was a younger boy. He had elegant black hair that was impeccably groomed. He had black eyes like the older man, but the boy's only held curiosity and wonderment. His face was angular and, still quite young, slightly feminine. He looked like a mixture of the man and the woman, though more similar to the woman. He held onto the skirts of her robes as the group made their way out of the alleyway.

About a meter from the mouth of the alley, the threesome, who had been previously wrapped up in their complaining, realised that the fourth member of the group was no longer with them. The man turned his stout frame back to the spot they'd appeared at.

"Come along now, Sirius. This alley is not befitting the Blacks so we will not inhabit it longer than is necessary. Let's go, son." The fourth member, Sirius, shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants, and dragged his feet to forestall the meeting with the others. He was very similar in appearance to the younger boy, though slightly taller. His black hair was long, reaching past his chin almost to his shoulders. It fell in front of his grey eyes and he had to push it out of his face quite frequently. As he walked, their was the same sense of nobility that was present in the others, a family trait it would seem, but Sirius did his absolute best to slump and not let that regal air show.

Once all members were once again together, they emerged from the alleyway onto the busy London street. They stood out like a sore thumb amongst the crowd on the sidewalk. They were dressed in strange clothes. The adults in intricate ankle length robes in deep green; the boys in suits reminiscent of the Victorian era. As the group passed through the crowd, they drew several curious glances. These glances led to an interesting reaction from the elder members of the group. With each look thrown at them by the members of the crowd, the man and woman stood up straighter and puffed out their chests.

"Enjoy the stares, boys," the man stated, a wide smile on his face, "even though they are lesser, filthy individuals, they can tell we are special, are set apart. Never forget or doubt just how set apart we are, boys. Even amongst our fellow wizards." Sirius ignored the small speech about their greatness, having heard it or similar countless times before. Instead, he began to glance around at the people passing him.

All the people looked so carefree and joyful. Sure, they probably had issues and problems that were not obvious simply by looking at them. However, Sirius felt that none of those problems were as large as his, were as large as having parents who absolutely hated and degraded 95% of the population. His parents, his whole family in fact, were purebloods, descended from an ancient line that stretched back long before the International Statute of Secrecy. For some reason, his parents thought this fact, and this fact alone, made the family more important than the countless other magical families, and definitely more important than those with no magical background or magic at all. Sirius wholeheartedly disagreed but, despite occasionally arguing against his parents' more ludicrous beliefs, had few options to really do anything against them.

Sirius was pulled from his thoughts by the arrival of his family at a nondescript building. Most of the other people on the street walked passed it without acknowledging the building's presence. Sirius knew this was because the muggles, non-magical individuals, were unable to see it. The Leaky Cauldron was a magical pub that served as the entrance to the largest wizarding shopping district in London.

Sirius and his family entered the building. The main bar area was relatively empty. Only three patrons occupied seats throughout the area, each nursing a drink of some form or another. His mother, the tall female of the group, took one look around the room and turned up her nose. It was clear that she found the inhabitants entirely distasteful. Day drinking in public was a sign of poor breeding and, therefore denoted a class of people well below the Blacks.

"Orion. Boys. Let's hurry now. No need to doddle in a place like this," the woman spoke, distaste and contempt filling her voice. The stout man ushered the other members of the family forward and into the back alley of the pub. The foursome now faced a faded brick wall. A few bricks appeared more worn than others and it was these bricks that Orion Black tapped gently with his wand. Once he finished, the bricks began to move and slide to the side, creating a gap in the wall.

Once it was large enough, Sirius scampered through the hole and entered a bright, loud world that was starkly different from the one of the muggle street. Here, nearly every person wore brightly coloured and intricately patterned robes making the street feel alive with colour. Strong scents and aromas filled the air, and a cacophony of sounds assaulted his ears. Instantly, a wide smile crossed Sirius' face.

He loved coming to Diagon Alley. Because of his parents' views and ideals, they had all but closed themselves off in their house. Only those who agreed with his parents' vitriol ever came to visit. Sirius and his younger brother Regulus were not allowed out of the house except on rare occasions, and were absolutely forbidden from interacting with any of their muggle neighbours. It was only when the family visited Diagon Alley that Sirius got to be around other magical beings. Wizards with different views, and, most importantly, children his own age.

A firm hand on his shoulder stopped him from running out into the crowd. Such an action would be very unbecoming of a son of such a noble family. Sirius followed the hand up to the scornful face of his mother. She looked down on her son with a stern look that clearly told him to behave as a Black would in public. Sirius' shoulders slumped, reality of his situation eliminating much of the joy he'd felt only moments before.

"Well," his mother Walburga spoke, her voice strained, "let us try and get this over with as quickly as possible. No need to associated longer than we must." She then stepped into the busy street, dragging Sirius behind her.

* * *

Sirius' eyes widened as the crowd parted and the most fantastical sight caught his attention. Across the street stood the Quidditch Supply Shop and in elegant display in the front window was the newest, flashiest broom offered. Without really being consciously aware of his actions, Sirius began moving toward the shop and the broom.

He had always loved Quidditch. The speed and skill with which the players on the professional teams flew through the air dazzled him. He had listened to commentators play by plays of games with rapt attention. He had been lobbying his parents for years to even just go to see a game in person. However, his attempts had fallen on deaf ears. Quidditch was a sport played and enjoyed by the masses. It was far too lowbrow for the Blacks and they had forbidden anything Quidditch related.

Sirius stared up at the broom longingly. He'd always wanted a broom. He'd spent countless hours imaging the feeling of relative weightlessness and the wind whipping through his hair and against his face. He pictured himself flying over open pastures, through empty city streets and small, isolated villages, and atop sprawling dense forests. To him, flying was freedom and an escape. He desperately wanted a broom to escape his family.

"It's supposed to be the fastest broom yet. And it handles amazing. They claim it'll turn on a knut and pull up from a dive only five meters from the ground!" the voice of a young girl sounded from beside Sirius. He turned his head to see a shorter dark haired girl. Her hair was cut short in a fairly boyish fashion, yet she wore a dress. She had an expression of complete wonderment on her face that Sirius guessed was mirrored on his own face.

"That sounds like quite the broom. I would really like to own it." Longing filled his voice, while the broom itself sounded absolutely fantastic, Sirius would have appreciated any broom at all.

"My parents won't buy me a broom either. They think flying is far too dangerous and unbecoming of a girl. I, however, think flying would be absolutely fantastic." The girl turned back to the broom display, looking wistfully at the flying machine. Sirius felt as if this girl was a kindred spirit facing similar problems as him.

"I'm Sirius, by the way," he introduced himself, reaching out to the girl. She smiled warmly at him and held out her hand.

"The name's Moira. I'm heading off to Hogwarts this September, you?" Her dark eyes, similar to his own Sirius couldn't help but think, shimmered with joy and kindness as she spoke.

"I am as well. I'm looking forward to being away from my parents for a while. They can be a little… overbearing." Moira nodded enthusiastically at his comment and opened her mouth to add something, but was stopped by a loud, shrill shout.

"Sirius! Enough with Quidditch! It is not something you should be worried with! Come along now. We have a few more stops to make before we can return home," Walburga Black called out over the crowd. Sirius had snuck away from his parents while they'd been engaged in a heated discussion with the apothecary owner about his lack of supplies for dark potions. He had always known his freedom was limited, but he'd hoped for just a few more minutes.

He turned to Moira with an apologetic look and was met with a knowing, sympathetic one.

"Hope to see you at Hogwarts!" he said to her before turning to join his mother and the rest of his family.

"The shops here are woefully lacking," Walburga complained under her breath. Orion and Regulus nodded their agreement.

"I think a stop at Knockturn Alley is most definitely needed, dear." Orion commented, leading the small group towards the street that specialized in dark arts objects. It was the section of the shopping district that his parents most respected. However, even they occasionally looked down on patrons and proprietors in Knockturn Alley as being filth and below the noble house of Blacks.

Not all dark arts or purveyors of dark arts were pure enough for the extremely prejudiced Blacks. As Sirius and his family haughtily made their way towards Knockturn Alley, he turned to look back at the Quidditch Supply Shop and the fantastic broom in the front window one last time. He couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts and away from his terrible, prejudiced family.


	4. Chapter 3: On to the Train

_The joys of parents are secret, and so are their griefs and fears; they cannot utter the one, nor will they utter the other_

 _~Sir. Francis Bacon_

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

 **On to the Train**

* * *

A clatter of activity rose from the lower levels of the house. It created a comforting hum in the background. James enjoyed the familiarity of it, even on this day where everything was about to change. Today was September 1, the day the train left, the day he officially started Hogwarts. For the past few weeks, his excitement had slowly been growing until coming to a peak the night before. Unable to sleep, James had flipped through all of his textbooks, re-read Hogwarts, A History, and practiced some simple spells.

Now, he lay on his bed, fully clothed and ready for his trip into London and, eventually, onto the Scottish Highlands and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was listening to his mother and the family house elf move about the kitchen, preparing food. It was a phenomenon that James had woken up to every day for as long as he could remember. His mother was an absolutely amazing cook and every day James had the luxury of her home made breakfasts. A slight pang resonated through him as he realised this would be his last homemade breakfast for several months.

"James?" a deep, silky voice asked from the other side of the door. "Are you almost ready, son?" The voice, which belonged to his father, had a slight catch in it. James recognized it as an excess of emotions that his father was trying to tamp down. As excited as James was to leave for Hogwarts, he could tell his parents were saddened. He was an only child, and absolutely spoiled by his older parents as a result. He was a major part of his parents' lives and his leaving would surely leave a large hole.

He felt another pang.

"Ready, father," James called out as he sprang up off his bed. Despite leaving his parents, and his mother's cooking, James was ready and excited to be leaving for school. He bubbled with the anticipation of learning spells, jinxes, and hexes, of learning how to brew potions and read the stars. He anxiously awaited being sorted –into Gryffindor, of course- and meeting his fellow house- and dorm-mates. He would try out for the house team as soon as there was an opening. He would surround himself with friends his age. All of it was endlessly exciting.

James opened the door to his bedroom to find his father. He was older, with grey, thinning hair and wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. He was tall, though not too tall and was and had a round, doughy shape like a big teddy bear. However, despite his aged appearance, Fleamont's dark brown eyes held a youth and joy that was not possessed by some men half his age. It was this youthful energy that had allowed James' father to teach him to fly and play Quidditch.

"All packed then?" Fleamont inquired, looking around his son into the room. For the briefest of minutes, James saw the joy in his father's eyes slip and be replaced with sadness.

"In the corner," James responded before he bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. He could tell his father was upset with his departure and trying to hide it from his son. James, not wanting to be the cause of any undo stress or pain decided to leave his father alone with his emotions.

He gleefully slid into the kitchen then stopped suddenly, nearly causing him to fall over. His sudden stop had been caused by the extraordinary sight in the large Potter kitchen. Food of all types, colours, and smells covered nearly every available surface. It appeared that his mother and the family house elf, Wipsy, had made all of James' favourite foods, and then some. Doing some quick calculations in his head, James figured he'd have to eat non-stop for a week before all the food was gone.

"Mum!" he exclaimed, "I may be a growing boy, but you've cooked for a whole Quidditch team's worth of growing boys! How do you expect me to eat all this?" James' eyes grew wider at the sight as he moved through the kitchen and took in even more of the food. His mother appeared from the door off to the right, which led to the pantry. James suspected that the once full room was now very sparse, most of its food contents having gone into the feast that lay before him.

"You eat your fill, Jamie. Whatever is left is going to the church in town to help with those less fortunate than us." She wiped her hands on an apron adorned with Snitches and Quaffles that had been a Christmas present from James the year before. Euphemia Potter was a lovely looking woman. She was of average height and had a curvy shape. Her face was heart shaped and framed by grey hair that James knew had once deep a dark chestnut brown. She had shimmering green-blue eyes, the same colour of a slightly stormy ocean, which were extremely expressive. James could always tell what his mother was thinking just by looking at her eyes.

She took a moment to survey the kitchen and mirth coloured her expression right up to her ocean spray eyes.

"I may have gone a little overboard," she conceded, "but it's not every day your baby boy starts his first day at Hogwarts. It'll be a while until you're home with us again and I wanted to make sure you had all your favourites so you wouldn't be missing them. Of course, if you do, a quick owl home and I'll have a care package ready for the next days post."

Euphemia turned to look at her son. James had perpetually messy dark brown hair that would not lay flat no matter what spell or product his mother used. He had his father's dark brown, mischievous eyes. He was thin, though not scrawny despite the amount of food that his mother cooked for him.

James was an only child and, as he'd come to believe after several renditions of the tale of his birth, a bit of a miracle. His mother and father had given up on the hope and possibility that they would have children, when his parents received the joyous news that Euphemia was expecting. As a result, and in combination with the family's wealth, James had experienced a pampered, lavish, and, some would even say, spoiled upbringing. His parents had absolutely doted on their miracle baby.

Now, as his mother took in the sight of him dressed for the trip into London in trousers and a collared shirt, the mirth began to fade from her eyes. Feeling awkward because of the raw emotions in his mother's eyes, James quickly focused on the mountains of food.

A light nudging on the side of his leg drew his attention to the floor. Reaching to just below his hip, her large eyes wide and filling with tears, was the Potter family house elf, Wipsy. She was holding up a plate for James to take and fill. He quickly took the plate and thanked the elf. Wipsy then quickly disappeared into the pantry. James assumed the elf was crying out of sight and it made him embarrassed and more awkward.

Eagerly wanting to get away from the outpouring of emotion, James began filling the plate. He then left the kitchen and headed into the formal dinning room. His father, having brought down James' trunk, was sitting at the table, a full plate of food from the kitchen in front of him. He also had a steaming cup of tea and was reading the most recent edition of the Daily Prophet.

"I see you've got your fill," Mr. Potter spoke from behind his paper. James had always been astonished by his father's ability to apparently see through the newspaper or whatever else he was reading. James placed his plate down on the table and took his regular spot. He then quickly dug into his meal.

After a few minutes, his mother joined the table, though she only had a cup of tea. Throughout his eleven years, James had rarely seen his mother eat with him and his father at breakfast and lunch. She would often wait until the boys had their fill and then eat her meal in the kitchen. She continued this behaviour even though there was no possibility of there not being enough food. James smiled at the consistency of his family despite the irregularity of the day.

The Potter family quickly fell into their morning routine, with Mr. Potter reading and sharing the news stories with Mrs. Potter. She would then add information she had gleaned through her social circle. All the while, James would be shovelling food into his mouth and occasionally tuning in to his parents' conversations. The only difference on that particular morning compared to all the others was a near-constant clamour that resonated from the kitchen as Wipsy prepared the excess food for the small church in the muggle town just outside the Potter manor grounds.

"Alright," Fleamont Potter suddenly exclaimed, folding his paper. He stood from the table and gave his wife and son a look, "Time to get going. The train will be leaving soon." Mrs. Potter nodded in agreement and stood.

"Wipsy!" she called. Moments later, the elf's head poked out of the kitchen. "Would you please clean up the breakfast dishes and finish up with that food. I will take it to the church when I get back." The elf nodded, then quickly ducked back into the kitchen, tears once again filling her large eyes.

Feeling the enormity of the fast approaching events, James remained seated for a few more minutes. He pretended to be finishing up his food. In reality, he wanted to hang on to the normalcy and routine of the day for a few more minutes. He was excited to start at Hogwarts, to learn all the magic he possibly could, but he was still hesitant about leaving the familiarity of his home.

"You coming, Jamie?" his mother asked. Feeling he could no longer put it off, James stood and went to grab his mother's hand. As the dark pressure of apparation engulfed him, he took one final look at the welcoming dinning room. He was ready, he told himself, to begin this great adventure.

* * *

The Potters appeared in an empty side street a few blocks from King's Cross Station in London, England. James let go of his mother's hand; he was far too old and mature to be holding it in public. He turned to look at his father, who was standing a few feet away with James' trunk. The elder Potter nodded for his son to lead the way towards the station.

James eagerly headed out into the street and onto the train station. While James' parents had told him about muggles and as much of the muggle world as they knew about and understood, James had never really been in the muggle world. The village near his parents' estate, Godric's Hallow, was a wizarding village that a few muggle families had moved into; it wasn't a muggle village. Being in London, surrounded by muggles and their ways of life was staggering. James found himself looking from side-to-side, trying to take it all in.

A chuckle from behind him made James momentarily stop his searching and turn towards the source. His mother was walking a few steps behind him, a gleeful expression on her face.

"As I've always said, Jamie, muggles are endlessly fascinating."

"If you can," his father added, "you should try and take muggle studies in your third year. I found it quite the illuminating subject." James nodded, always one to follow his father's advice.

After five minutes of walking, the trio arrived at King's Cross Station. It was full of people busily hurrying about, trying to get to their train on time. It was mostly a place of muggle transportation, but the wizards of Britain had built a secret platform to transport underage wizards to and from Hogwarts. James, knowing all about the magical properties of this platform, purposefully began to walk through the building.

A few meters from the platform entrance, he saw a foursome, two parents and their daughters, earnestly consulting a piece of parchment. At the top, James could make out the Hogwarts seal. This, he reasoned, must be a muggle family with a magical daughter consulting instructions on how to get to the train. Feeling confident in his abilities, James strode over to the family to offer his assistance.

"Hello," he spoke, his voice friendly if a little haughty, "are you trying to get onto the platform?" He kept his question fairly vague so as not to arose the family if they were not, in fact, looking for Platform 9 ¾.

"You know about the magical platform?" the man asked, lowering his voice to a whisper on the words 'magical platform.' James nodded his head, a smile breaking across his face. His ability to help this obviously confused family brought him great joy.

"Platform 9 ¾? Yeah, I do. I'm heading off on my first year!" The woman smiled warmly at James.

"Lily is as well. It's all very exciting for us!" she spoke, patting the red-haired girl on the head. Her sister scowled.

"Well," James spoke, getting down to business, "the entrance to the platform is that pillar there, between 9 and 10. Just walk through it and you'll be there!" Both the man and the woman eyed the sturdy looking brick pillar with apprehension.

"Thank you, son," the man spoke after several seconds, "well, Lily, Petunia, come along now." He grabbed the older blonde girl's hand, Petunia, James assumed, while his wife grabbed Lily's. Then they headed very determinedly towards the platform entrance, pushing a trolley containing a large trunk in front of them. James watched as they disappeared through the brick.

"That was awfully nice of you, Jamie," his mother spoke, coming up behind him. "Now what do you say we get you onto the train and off to Hogwarts?" she offered James her hand and, despite the fact that they were in public, he gladly took it. They then also headed towards the pillar, his father close behind with the trunk and James' brand new tawny owl.

The threesome disappeared through the pillar and came out to an area filled with steam. As it cleared a little, James got his first glimpse at the Hogwart's Express, His adventure was truly about to begin.


	5. Chapter 4: The Houses Divided

_Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in_

 _~Robert Frost_

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 **The Houses Divided**

* * *

James' father levitated his trunk up and onto the train. James held the cage of his owl Apollo close. His mother was busy fussing over him, her eyes glassy with tears. James, also upset over his impending departure, allowed his mother to continue her ministrations without even a look of disgust. As strong as his desire was to start his adventure, to meet and interact with people his own age, he was still going to miss his parents and the life and routine.

"Alright then," Fleamont said, quickly checking his ornate antique pocket watch. The Potters, being an old wizarding family had a lot of heirlooms. The old pocket watch his father used was definitely his favourite. James couldn't wait until he came of age and, as his father had promised several years prior, he would be gifted the pocket watch.

"Well, it's five to eleven," Fleamont continued, "probably time for you to be heading aboard and finding a seat, James. Don't want to miss the train on your first day!" His voice was light and jokey, but, as James turned to look up at his father, he saw the same tear-filled, glassy eyes as his mother. Almost instantly, James felt tears welling up in his eyes. He gently placed Apollo's cage down on the ground, and then threw his arms around his parents.

He dug his head into his mother's stomach and pulled his father close to his side. After a brief moment, in which James assumed they were surprised, his parents enclosed James with their arms in a loving group hug.

"I'm going to miss you guys," James mumbled, his voice unclear because of the fact that his face was buried in his mother's stomach.

"We will miss you, too, Jamie," his mother responded, rubbing soothing circles onto James' back, "write us as much as you want. There are school owls you can use if Apollo is busy. We'll write back as soon and as often as we can. Now, as hard as it may be, you need to head off onto the train." At his mother's last few words, James hurriedly pulled away and grabbed Apollo's cage. His normal bravado had returned and he confidently climbed onto the train.

James' eyes grew wide as he took in all the sights of the train. The small alleyway down the middle was filled with loud, boisterous students. Various magical toys and items, including Fanged Frisbees, toy brooms were being thrown around the hallway while various kinds of magical poppers and flashbangs were going off in the air. It was like a giant party in the train; students were celebrating their return to school, their ability to perform magic, their being with friends and possibly away from parents and family, and all the Quidditch games and other events they would experience and partake in.

James smiled at the sight before him imagining all that he would experience once he arrived at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Instantly, all trepidation and sadness that he had felt about leaving his parents vanished and James excitedly moved forward to join in on the celebratory chaos. He wadded through the crowd, pulling his trunk and Apollo as well. He quickly began looking for an empty or partially empty compartment to store his things and join in with the celebratory mood.

He found an empty compartment about halfway down the alley of the car he was in. While he was in the middle of attempting to heave his trunk onto the rack above his seat, the train whistle blew; it was about to depart. James quickly shoved the trunk onto the shelf and headed for the window. The cacophony of celebration out in the hallway had quieted down and, as James stuck his head out the window, he realised part of the reason. All along the train, students hung out of windows waving to the people left behind on the platform. James quickly located his parents and waved enthusiastically as the train began pulling away.

He didn't wait until the platform was out of sight before pulling his head back into the train. A knock had sounded only about half a minute after the train had begun departing and James pulled his head back in to address the knock.

Standing at the door, wearing impeccable dress robes was a boy about his age. The boy had long, shaggy hair and dark eyes. He held himself with a slight air of superiority. James momentarily wondered if the boy was possibly a few years older than him and knew that James was only a first year.

"Can I sit in here?" they boy asked, eyeing the nearly empty compartment. James, who had been excited about meeting and interacting with people his own age, was instantly excited.

"If you can find room," James joked before standing to help the other boy stow his trunk and other belongings on the rack above. The other boy, whom James had assumed came from a high-brow pureblood family based on his clothing and posture, collapsed onto a seat across from James. He spread his legs out in a comfortable manner, basically letting them go akimbo. In that moment, the boy looked the complete opposite of a high-brow individual.

"I'm Sirius, by the way. This is my first year. How about you?" the boy asked.

"James," he responded, "James Potter. I'm a first year as well. Are you excited about starting?" James sat a little forward in anticipations of the other boy's answer.

"I've been waiting for this day for quite some time. Glad to be heading off to school." Sirius' voice was excited, but there was also a slight edge to it. James thought there might be something more to what he was saying, the reason why he was glad perhaps. However, he didn't push the other boy on the matter.

"I packed a brand new deck of cards. Want to play a game?" James asked, pulling out the cards from his pocket. Sirius smiled in response and sat up. James quickly dealt cards and the game began. With each turn and each explosion, both boys became increasingly rowdy.

A smile spread across James' face. _This_ had been what he'd been hoping for at Hogwarts. He loved his parents, truly believed he'd had a spectacular upbringing but he had still felt as if something was missing. He was an only child, raised by elderly parents in a large country estate. His family was either much older or much younger than him. He rarely spent time in the nearby village, a result of his parents' abundant caution. He was their miracle child, the child they never thought they'd have. They ensured he was continually safe and kept close.

However, all this resulted in James spending a fair amount of time alone. For years he'd desperately wanted a friend, a playmate his age to keep him company. It was with this desire that he turned his attention to his acceptance to Hogwarts, and began tirelessly anticipating that day when he would board the train, head off to school, and make the best of friends.

Now, as he sat on the train as it barrelled north towards the Scottish Highlands, crazily playing exploding snap with Sirius, he felt his desire had been achieved. He may have just met Sirius only a few minutes before, but James could tell he and Sirius would be good friends. Their boisterous actions throughout the game made it clear to James. They were kindred souls, two young, outgoing boys. James may not have known much about Sirius, had felt he may be hiding things, but their similar personalities was enough for James in that moment.

He looked up at the other boy and met his eyes. In that moment, James felt that Sirius was thinking similar, if not the same, things. Both had independently decided they would become friends.

The moment was ended by a light, musical knock on the door. It was carefully, or perhaps hesitantly, opened and revealed a young red-haired girl standing in the doorway. Her hair fell a little past her shoulders and was held off her face with a light pink ribbon. She clutched a book to her chest, almost as a safety blanket. Her expression, though mostly her dazzling green eyes, was one of sadness and anger which James found confusing and out of place.

"Can I sit here? My old compartment was too full." Despite her expression, her tone was strong and forceful.

"You're the girl from the station," was all James was able to get out in response, still preoccupied with her out-of-place expression.

"Yes, I'm Lily. Thank you for helping us find our way through. Now, may I sit here?" Her tone was impatient and James simply nodded in agreement that she may, indeed, join the boys in the compartment. She sat down in a seat by the window and gazed out of it, no longer acknowledging either James or Sirius. The boys turned back to each other. Sirius shrugged and then the pair returned to their rowdy game of exploding snap.

* * *

James and Sirius were in the middle of an extremely enthusiastic game of exploding snap, rapidly playing cards, shouting and exclaiming as they did so. They were so wrapped up in their game that they barely recognized or paid any attention, to the entry of a skinny, long-haired boy already in his school robes. The little attention that Sirius did pay to the boy was a result of the fact that they were barely out of London and still had several hours before they arrived at school and needed robes. However, Sirius believed that the boy, much like himself really, was simply excited to be starting school. He then paid the boy no more attention and focused on the game.

The boy sat across from the girl, Lily, and had a quite conversation. Both Sirius and James ignored the other two. Then, suddenly, the boy exclaimed, his voice filled with uncontained enthusiasm. Sirius and James left their cards alone and began to eavesdrop.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," the boy spoke. Sirius stiffened slightly at the mention of his most hated house. How could this boy, who Sirius could tell from the way the boy acted and carried himself was not a highbrow pureblood, want to be in such a terrible house? Not being a highbrow pureblood he therefore could not be instilled with the same belief system as Sirius parents had tried to instil in him.

"Slytherin?" James asked, his tone surprised and, Sirius realised with relief, slight disbelief. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" Here James turned to Sirius. The long-haired boy had returned to his at-ease lounging position when he figured James was not a fan of Slytherin. Now, however, he was worried once more. James was smiling at him, looking for enthusiastic agreement. Sirius very much wanted to do so, but there was something he needed to get off his chest first. He spoke without returning James smile, worried that his comments may loose him his new friend.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin."

"Blimey," James responded, without missing a beat, "and I thought you seemed all right!" James' tone was light and joking. It was obvious the fact that Sirius' lineage was so firmly routed in Slytherin had not tainted James' opinion of the Black. A large smile broke across Sirius' face. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would be a new start for him. He would be able to leave his family's belief system behind and construct for himself a new identity and sense of self.

James Potter, and whoever else like him that Sirius would be lucky enough to meet and interact with, would be an integral part of redefining who Sirius Black was.

"Maybe I'll break the tradition," he spoke, hope and also mischievousness filling his voice.

The small group of four first years then lapsed into a brief conversation about which house they wanted to be in. Sirius was even more excited when James announced he wanted to be in Gryffindor. That was the house Sirius was hoping for, despite the sinking feeling in his gut that he would be placed in the house of his ancestors. Gryffindor was the farthest from his family and their beliefs as he could get. It would be a great slap in the face to his parents and that made him very happy. Also, Sirius actually liked the traits associated with Gryffindor. Courage and bravery. He hoped that he possessed them to a large enough degree that the Sorting Hat, a magical device that weighed your personality and character traits and determined your house, would put him into Gryffindor.

The other boy, the one already in his school robes, made a disparaging noise when James made his proclamation. Instantly, James and Sirius turned on the boy, whom Lily had referred to as Severus, mocking him and taunting him. Lily, acting as Severus' protector, quickly and angrily stood and, still being taunted by the boys, pulled her friend out of the compartment.

Sirius and James cackled in joy, even after the compartment door had been slammed shut. Sirius, who did not consider himself a bully or a mean person, justified his cruel actions in a variety of ways. Firstly, Severus had started it. James and Sirius had been friendly discussing houses before Severus chose to insult James. Sirius had simply been protecting his new friend. Secondly, anyone willingly choosing or even openly desiring to be placed into Slytherin was not a good person. Slytherin was a house of superiority and hatred; only evil seeds went into that house. Finally, neither he nor James had said anything nasty, terrible, or disparaging. It was playful mocking, not hateful mocking. They hadn't done anything wrong.

The two new friends spent the remainder of the train ride in excited, friendly conversation about themselves and their hopes for their year at Hogwarts. They also played several more games of exploding snap and other magical card games. Finally, as the sun was setting over the Scottish Highlands, the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station. James turned to Sirius, an excited smile on his face.

"Here we go!" he exclaimed.


	6. Chapter 5: Welcome to Hogwarts

_Let your mind start a journey thru a strange world. Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before. Let your soul take you where you long to be… Close your eyes,_ _let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you never lived before._

 _~Erich Fromm_

* * *

 **Chapter Five**

 **Welcome to Hogwarts**

* * *

The English countryside passed by outside the window in a blur of green, brown, and red. Small muggle towns, some with quaint country homes and others with large smoke stacks and signs of industry, whizzed by. Fields of green grass and crops dotted the landscape. It was all incredibly beautiful. Especially for Peter, who had grown up in a small cottage in a very insular wizarding community. Seeing this much of the country just added to the whole experience.

Peter was lucky that he was able to focus on the sights and loose himself in that. He wasn't forced to interact with the others in his compartment, didn't have to face the large possibility of making a fool of himself. Peter was never good in social situations, preferring to be alone. He'd had very few friends when he was young, and hadn't had a lot of practice interacting with others. He was awkward, said the wrong thing, and generally flubbed up any opportunity he had with others.

He hoped, as he watched the countryside pass before his eyes, that spending all day every day for the better part of seven years would provide him the much needed practice. But more than that, he hoped it would give others the opportunity to look passed those initial awkward interactions and really get to know him for him.

It was nerves and worries that had gotten him to King's Cross early; luckily his mother was accommodating of his concerns and willing to get him there nearly an hour before the train was to depart. He got a compartment to himself, avoiding having to ask someone to join them. Peter was able to settle in and burry his nose in Hogwarts, A History before a group of older boys entered the compartment. They didn't ask Peter if they could join him, simply sat down and continued conversing amongst themselves. The boys did not acknowledge Peter, a fact that he greatly enjoyed. Instead, Peter was left to himself and the boys to themselves.

And so, they passed the journey from London to Hogsmeade.

When the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, Peter remained seated. He stared awkwardly at his feet and picked at a fraying string on his robes. All the other members of the compartment stood and filed out, quickly joining the cacophony of voices outside. Throngs of students slowly made their way out of the train. Peter, who was far too intimidated by the large crowd, decided to wait for it to thin out a little. He did not do well in crowds and avoided them at all costs.

Finally, the crowd was at a manageable size, and Peter grabbed his trunk and exited the compartment. The few stragglers left in the hall were mostly older students, catching up with their friends they hadn't seen since the year before. They completely ignored Peter as he carefully, if a little clumsily, made his way off the train.

He stepped off onto the platform and a terrifying thought stuck him like a knife to the gut. He had carefully planned out getting to the station early to get on the train with minimal interactions, getting a compartment without having to bother anyone, and spending the several hour train ride essentially alone. He had grilled his mother about what the train ride would be like so he was sure he had enough information to survive the trip. However, even despite all that, he hadn't thought to ask about how he was to get from the train to the castle itself.

Peter had always assumed that the train stopped just outside the castle, that he would walk off the train and be at Hogwarts. He hadn't thought that the station would be located in the small wizarding village of Hogsmeade, several kilometers away from the castle. How was he expected to get there? Was he to walk? Would there be a clearly marked path or would he be forced to wander aimlessly through dark forest like some sort of test of their magical prowess?

The crowd all seemed to be moving in one direction, towards the exit of the platform. Peter readjusted his grip on his trunk, ensuring he wouldn't loose it if he were jostled in the crowd. He took a few steps forward before something caught his eye. Several students, all who looked like first years, were moving against the crowd toward the other end of the platform. He now had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do at that moment.

"Firs' years!" a booming voice sounded over the crowd. Peter felt like it was a sign. He quickly began looking around for the source. "Firs' years over here!"

After a few seconds of looking, Peter found the individual calling for first years. He wasn't sure how he'd missed the man. He towered over the crowd of students. He had dark bushy hair and a long, wild-looking beard. The sight, mostly the height, sent shivers of fear through Peter. Despite the face that this man was the one who would help him navigate his way to Hogwarts, Peter wanted to keep as much distance between himself and the man.

Peter joined the group of first years, the ones moving against the grain of the crowd, but hung near the back. The man continued to shout for "firs' years" and led those already gathering down the backside of the platform. As more and more students joined the crowd, Peter would position himself further and further back. He gladly welcomed the cushion they provided between himself and the giant man.

Suddenly, as Peter shifted to allow more first years passed him, he felt his back collide with something solid. The force of the sudden stop threw off his balance and he toppled over. His legs, short and stout as they were, became entangled in trunks and robes. He collided with the ground with an 'umph' as the wind escaped from his lungs. Embarrassed by the whole situation, Peter simply lay in a heap on the ground.

Then a thought went through his mind. He collided with something hard. Something that hadn't been there moments before. The clues pointed to that something being, in fact, a someone. He'd collided with someone. And that someone would probably not be overly enthused that they had been run into. Peter, never one for confrontation, instantly became terrified. What if that someone was so upset that they took it out on Peter? What if they yelled at him, or worse, beat him up?

Instantly, Peter jumped to his feet and began apologizing, trying to temper the other individual and hopefully avoid pain.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. It was completely my fault! I apologize wholeheartedly! Are you fine? Do you need assistance? I am so so sorry! Sorry!" Peter babbled, speaking extremely fast. He did not look at the other individual, too nervous and terrified.

A light chuckle drew Peter's attention up from his shoes to the person he had collided into. Peter saw that he had run into a boy. He was thin and fairly tall. He had sandy brown hair and large, dark bags under his eyes. Peter wondered if he'd ever had a good night sleep. He also looked pale and sickly. Peter thought he was a first year, though he looked older as a result of his sickly, tired appearance.

"I believe it was my fault," the other boy responded, his voice warm and friendly. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Too caught up in the beauty and majesty of the castle. It truly is wonderful." The other boy spoke with such amazement at seeing the castle, at being near it that Peter wondered if the other boy was muggle born.

"From here on out," the other boy continued, "I will focus on walking and marvel at a later time. I'm Remus, by the way." He added his name on, almost like an afterthought. Peter wondered if his lack of experience at introductions came from a lack of interpersonal interactions like Peter -which excited the young male- or if everyone simply knew who he was and never had to introduce himself. Peter hoped for the former.

"I'm Peter," he responded, nerves racing through his entire being. They made his voice unnaturally high and squeaky. Luckily, Peter was saved from having to say anything further by a loud, booming voice.

"All righ' Firs' Years! Gather round! We'll be takin' the boats into Hogwarts. There's only four to a boat. Watch yer step! Also, keep yer hands and feet in the boat, or else the squid'll get ya!" The giant man then stepped aside to reveal a collection of rowboats.

"A squid?" Peter squeaked out nervously, taking an unconscious step backwards.

"I'm sure it's just a threat. They wouldn't keep dangerous monsters within school grounds," a musical voice said from beside Peter. The owner of the voice turned out to be a girl with short dark hair and shimmering black eyes. She was about the same height as Peter, making her fairly short, even for a girl. The other boy standing with Peter, Remus, paled at her words. Peter guessed he too didn't believe the girl.

The crowd began moving down towards the boat. The girl took off, quickly getting lost in the crowd. Peter slowly began to follow. Luckily, Remus kept pace with him. Peter had hoped that they could be friends; Remus was nice and friendly. He hadn't gotten angry or upset when they'd collided. Now he was purposefully walking slowly to stay with Peter. The short boy smiled.

* * *

Luckily for Peter, the boat ride across the lake and towards the castle went smoothly. He was hesitant getting into it. There was a large possibility that he would trip and slip into the water or sprain his ankle. Also, Peter was still a little worried about the existence of the squid. However, getting into the boat was uneventful and Peter began to relax a little.

Peter found himself in a boat with Remus, a small boy who looked like he was about to throw up, and a girl with large blue eyes who was staring around at everything with a sense of amazement. It was a quiet boat ride, as all of the occupants were in their own worlds, taking in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The other boy, the one who looked ready to hurl, was most likely focused on keeping his lunch down. Both Remus and the wide-eyed girl were staring at the castle, their looks of amazement growing as the boats got closer and the castle got larger.

Peter was taking the opportunity of everyone being preoccupied by the quickly approaching castle to observe his future classmates. For the most part, they were intimidating. Several looked nervous and worried, but most looked excited, thrilled, and filled with anxious anticipation.

He spotted the girl from before the boats, sitting with another girl and two boys. The two girls were whispering and pointing up at the castle. The two boys, one with messy dark brown hair and the other with long, shaggy hair, were hanging over the edge of the boat, gazing at ,and occasionally poking, the water. Peter admired their apparent fearlessness.

Finally, the boats began to slow and headed towards a crevasse in the rocky ledge upon which the castle sat. At first, Peter wasn't certain that the boats would fit through, the opening looked quite small, but each sailed through without a problem. Now that he was actually in the castle proper, nerves in the form of excited butterflied burst in his stomach. In only a few moments time, Peter would be standing before the entirety of the Hogwarts student body and be sorted into a house. His entire family had been in Gryffindor and, if he was not, his father would be extremely angry. For his part, however, Peter was almost certain he'd be placed in Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff was the worst house in his father's eyes. The pressure was almost too much.

The boats came to a stop and the first years disembarked. They quickly grabbed their belongings and headed after the giant man towards a set of large, ornate doors. Standing before them was an elderly man. He had short, ear-length silver hair and warm brown eyes. His robes were a dark midnight blue, denoting, Peter suspected that he was a member of Ravenclaw house.

"Professor Greensleigh," the giant man spoke in welcome to the man standing before the door.

"Hagrid," the man responded, "pleasant trip, I assume." Hagrid nodded gruffly before motioning to collection of students standing behind him.

"I got all the firs' years here, safe and sound, Professor." The giant man, Hagrid, then left the group standing before the aged Professor Greensleigh. Peter looked up expectantly. The Professor cleared his throat before launching into a speech of welcome.

"Good evening, boys and girls. Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This place will be your home for the next seven years as you explore and learn about magic. Now, tonight is all about celebrating, which begins with the traditional start-of-term feast. It is a time to enjoy yourselves with your fellow students before the rigors of your schoolwork begin. Before the eating can commence, however, each of you will each be sorted into one of the four houses. Think of the houses as your family while you are at Hogwarts, as you will be spending essentially all of your time with the members of your house.

"These houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each is named after one of the founders of our great school and represents traits that each founder held dear. Your house will not only be your family, but share in your triumphs and losses. Triumphs will win your house points, while losses will loose points. The House with the most points at the end of the year will win the House cup, a great honour indeed.

"Now, without further ado, let the Sorting Ceremony begin!" Professor Greensleigh finished with a flourish and the doors before him opened up. Slowly, the first years made their way into Hogwarts.


	7. Chapter 6: Sorting

_You go out on Friday night/ I stay in but that's alright/ Because I have found a clique to call my own_

 _~Good Charlotte_

* * *

 **Chapter Six**

 **Sorting**

* * *

Before the students entered the Great Hall and were sorted, they were led into the entrance hall. They entered through a side door, barely visible to a passer-by. The hall was very grand, with a high ceiling and an elegant chandelier blazing brightly in the middle. On either end of the hall were two sets of large, ornate doors. They were engraved with the Hogwarts crest and motto. One led back out to the grounds, empty and darkened. The other led towards the Great Hall and the rest of their lives.

The group turned towards to doors to the Great Hall. Excited voices sounded from behind the wood. It was a cacophony of noise. Voices, cheers, ruffling, and scraping denoted the fact that there was a large group gathered. The pressure mounted; they were only a few steps away from the Sorting Ceremony.

Students, most likely muggleborns, grew increasingly nervous, wondering what the ceremony entailed. Some of those with magical blood began to stress over which house they would be sorted into, really feeling the family pressure that the selection of houses inspired. Not being sorted into the correct house could mean disinheritance. It was all very momentous.

Finally, the doors opened. The loud noises that had been emanating from the Hall ceased as the entire student body turned to watch the first years enter. The students were seated at four long tables, separated into their houses. The Professors sat at a fifth long table at the front of the Hall. And, placed before the Professors' table were a single wooden stool and a beaten and worn old hat.

'The Sorting Hat' Sirius thought as he zoned in on the aged headwear. His parents had told him all about the ceremony. That hat, Godric Gryffindor's own, was enchanted to reach into your mind and soul, weigh your character traits, and then determine which house you would best fit into. It was a relatively easy and pain-free process, despite the momentous nature of the event.

Whispers quickly broke out amongst some of the first years, obviously wondering what was going on with the hat. Sirius tried not to allow himself to be inflated by the sense of superiority that came with having knowledge others did not. Superiority was a Black trait that Sirius was desperately trying to repress. He was not any better than anyone else, especially when his superior knowledge came as a result of his pureblood upbringing. Those who were confused about what was going on were not raised in magical houses, or with parents who weren't as obsessed with status. His parents had prepared him for the Sorting, explaining everything that would happen so that he wouldn't be surprised and would definitely end up in Slytherin.

If Sirius were to be superior it would be as a result of his hard work and not a fluke of birth.

The first years gathered before the stool. Professor Greensleigh went to stand in front of his place at the front table. The rest of the school turned to look at the hat. Everyone was silent. A few of the muggleborn first years looked more and more confused and concerned. Finally, the hat began to move. A rip near the brim widened and a melody issued from the hole. The magical hat was singing.

Gather round, young boys and girls,

I've got a tale to tell

Of important this and that's

So listen to it well.

I may look too plain and simple,

But looks can sure deceive.

From me your place at this fine school,

You will, in time receive.

I will gaze deep into your minds

And see what's hidden there.

All your secrets and desires

Before me are laid bare.

Four houses you will have to choose

Each unique, and old, and grand.

They represent the Founders four.

Greatest wizards in the land!

One such house is Gryffindor.

The bravest of them all.

With courage, heart, and chivalry,

Gryffindors stand tall.

Another house is Hufflepuff

Where loyalty is key.

Kindness, patience, and hard work

Make it the place to be.

Or possibly in Ravenclaw

Is where you'll find your place.

Such witty, wise, and learned ones

Always have a book before their face.

And finally, there is Slytherin

Where dwell quite cunning creatures.

They will achieve all their desires

And get around their teachers.

So step on up, and put me on

And let me look inside.

There is no place for you to go,

Nowhere that you can hide.

You will be sorted, here and now

I promise to be fast

And once I've gone and sorted you

At home you'll be at last.

The hat finished its song and then became motionless once more. The hall quickly burst out in applause, Sirius enthusiastically joining them. Each year, the hat started the Sorting Ceremony with a song lauding the traits of the four houses. It was his father's favourite part of the year, and now Sirius could see why.

The applause died away and Professor Greensleigh stepped forward, a scroll clutched tightly in his hand. He cleared his throat with a gruff cough and the hall was once again silent.

"When you hear your name, come forward and put on the hat. You'll be sorted and then you can join your new house. Once all of you have found your place, Headmaster Dumbledore will say a few words."

Blood started pounding in Sirius' ears. It was now. In a few moments his name would be called. He would go up to the Sorting Hat and put it on. It would then probe his mind and decide which house he would be in. The hat would tell him if he was as set apart from his family –generations of Slytherins- as he felt, or if he was just another Black. He tried to keep himself from shaking and focus back on the Sorting Ceremony.

"Hufflepuff!" the Sorting Hat called out. A meek looking boy with blond hair jumped off the stool and quickly hurried toward the applauding table.

"Black, Sirius," Professor Greensleigh called. Sirius took a deep breath and stepped forward. He quickly glanced towards the Slytherin table and saw the expectant looks of nearly all the members. His cousins especially believed he would quickly be joining them.

Wanting to quickly have the whole thing over and done with, Sirius sat down on the stool and shoved the hat on his head. The brim came down to his eyebrows and thankfully blocked some of his view. He did not like having eyes staring at him and was glad that some of them were blocked.

'Ah, the young Mister Black. I was wondering when I'd get another one of you! Quite the family you've got. Lots of Slytherins, as I recall. Very easy to sort,' the hat spoke, though Sirius did not hear the voice as if it'd spoken out loud. Instead, the voice sounded in his head.

At the words, Sirius tensed and started mentally repeating the word 'No!' very forcefully. He did not want to be in Slytherin. Especially because that was the house that essentially all of his family had been in. If he was going to be in Slytherin, which he really did not want, he at least wanted it to be on his own merits, on his own character.

Suddenly, chuckling sounded in his head.

'No Slytherin for you, huh? Want to be different from your family? That takes some courage, especially with a family like yours. Are you sure you want to go against such strong Slytherin blood?' The hat paused for Sirius to answer, which was an emphatic 'absolutely!'

'Very well.'

"Gryffindor!" the hat shouted out loud. The proclamation of Sirius' house was met with startled silence. Slytherin House looked absolutely shocked, mouths dropped open and eyes bugged out. Two of his cousins, Bellatrix and Narcissa, glared daggers at him. The third sister, Sirius' favourite, Andromeda who was sitting several tables away from the others at Hufflepuff, looked slightly proud.

Sirius slipped the hat off his head and made his way to Gryffindor's table. The students then seemed to come out of their stupor and, Gryffindor table especially, began to cheer and applaud. Sirius proudly took his spot at the table on the other side of the hall from his family. This was his first step away from them, their legacy, and their awful beliefs and ideas.

* * *

"Clark, Patrice," Professor Greensleigh called from the list. Remus watched as a fairly nervous looking girl with stick straight black hair and a fairly small build made her way towards the Sorting Hat. Every time a nervous student went to be sorted, Remus began to feel less and less nervous himself. It was comforting to know that he wasn't alone in his feelings and emotions.

"Hufflepuff!"

Remus wasn't worried about what house he would be placed in. To him, each of the four houses was noble and he would be proud of a place in them. No. What his nerves were really about was not being sorted at all. Ever since Dumbledore had visited his house and told him that he had a place at Hogwarts, a small part of him had been waiting for another letter or visit telling him that it was all a mistake. None had come, but that hadn't settled his nerves at all.

"Dobbs, Leonard."

Now, Remus was sure that the hat would realise the mistake. He shouldn't be at Hogwarts and when the hat would look in to his mind trying to find character traits to help determine his house, it would find the truth. His dark secret. Once the hat knew that, it would surely refuse to sort him and Remus would be sent back to his parents.

"Slytherin!"

There would be no character trait strong enough to override his secret and surely no house, not one of the founders, would want to lay claim to him. He had always known that he didn't belong at Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat would be the thing that would make it all clear and final.

"Evans, Lily!"

Remus took a deep steadying breath. He tried to stop his thought process, derail the train of negative thoughts that was barrelling through his head. Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of the school, had told him he had a spot at Hogwarts, had told him that he belonged here. It would be very unlikely for the Headmaster to make such a mistake. The hat would place him in a house because he belonged in one.

"Gryffindor!"

Repeating his mantra in his head, Remus focused back in on the sorting. A girl with red hair had just hopped down from the Sorting Hat stool and made her way to the table of loudly cheering Gryffindor students. Another girl, with dark raven hair was confidently making her way up to be sorted. Remus enjoyed the distraction that the Sorting Ceremony was providing. Turning his thoughts over to an internal commentary of what was happening, telling what each student looked like, how they were acting, how long it took to sort them, and the reaction of each house, helped keep the negative thoughts at bay. It kept his mind focused on other matters.

"Lupin, Remus!" Professor Greensleigh finally called his name. It was now or never. In the next few moments, Remus would be given a house and finally quash all lingering doubts about his place at school.

Nerves overcame him. The possibility that he wouldn't be placed in a house rose to the fore once more, and Remus paled. He took several shaky steps forward and nearly collapsed onto the stool. The hat was placed on his head and Remus held his breath in anticipation.

'Hmmmm, let's see where to place you,' a voice spoke in Remus' head. He continued to hold his breath and waited as the hat looked through his mind. He tried not to think about his secret, hoping that the hat wouldn't find out about it. That was unsuccessful.

'Ahhh, you're the one! I've overheard several conversations about you. You've caused quite the stir. It's very brave to put yourself in this situation, not knowing how you'll be received. For that, I think it should be-'

"Gryffindor!" the hat called aloud. Remus let out his breath as a huge smile spread across his face. He had a house! He had a place!

* * *

Peter was paying full attention to the Sorting Ceremony. He was carefully observing each person as they were called upon and sorted. He was looking for commonalities, things that people that were sorted into certain houses had in common. Then, he would compare what he observed in each student to himself and try to find where he might fit.

"McKinnon, Marlene," Professor Greensleigh called. Peter watched as a confident girl with long brown hair and almost matching brown eyes strode up to the stool. She quickly put the hat on her head and sat with her back straight, her eyes staring out at the crowd.

'She's pretty,' Peter thought, taking in the confident stare on her soft face.

"Gryffindor!" the hat finally called out. Peter wasn't surprised.

With each person, Peter was quickly becoming more and more sure that the house he would end up in was Hufflepuff. Each and every single person sorted into Hufflepuff looked extremely concerned and mousy, just like Peter. Those sorted into Slytherin or Gryffindor looked self-assured, like they knew they belonged in one of the two great houses. Those sorted into Ravenclaw looked serene, like they had already figured their brains would place them in the house of wisdom.

Peter was exactly like all other Hufflepuffs. Extremely concerned. Extremely nervous. Extremely not confident.

This realization spread absolute dread through his entire being.

His father would not take him being sorted into Hufflepuff well at all. To his father, Peter had only two options for houses. It was either Gryffindor or Slytherin. Ravenclaw might be an option, but his father had made it clear that Peter was not smart enough for that house. Hufflepuff was not even a consideration, not even mentioned in the Pettigrew household.

If, and more likely when, Peter was sorted into Hufflepuff, it would cause some serious problems for him. The only shinning light in it all was that Remus, who looked about as concerned as Peter, had been sorted into Gryffindor. But that one example was not enough for Peter in the face of all the other observations he had made.

"Pettigrew, Peter!"

Trying to act outwardly confident, Peter made his way to the Sorting Hat and the stool. He figured that, if he at least appeared like those sorted into either Gryffindor or Slytherin, he, too, may receive a similar sorting.

The hat was placed on his head and, as a result of his small stature, it slid down to almost cover his eyes. Being so close to a determining factor of his future, Peter began to shake uncontrollably. He hoped it wasn't too obvious because he was still trying to appear like a Slytherin or Gryffindor.

'An interesting life you've lived thus far,' a voice spoke in Peter's head. He momentarily wondered what the hat meant by 'interesting'. Personally, he would describe his life as 'ordinary' or 'routine'. Nothing had ever happened to Peter that he could conceive as interesting.

'Definitely had some hurdles and struggles. You seem to have conquered them quite well. Yes, yes. And then there's your father. Definitely important. Definitely important. Looking at all of this, I would have to say-'

"Gryffindor!"

Peter nearly fainted. He had been sure he would have been in Hufflepuff. He did not, in his estimation, possess any courage. He'd certainly never done anything courageous . But, not wanting to look a gift-hippogriff in the mouth, he quickly scampered off the stool and towards the boisterous Gryffindor table.

* * *

James sat right where he belonged. It felt like home. It felt absolutely right. Only a few minutes prior, his name had been called and he'd confidently made his way to be sorted. He hadn't really been worried. Potters had been in Gryffindor for generations. There were very few individuals with the Potter name not in Gryffindor. James was going to be in Gryffindor.

So, when the Sorting Hat proclaimed James Potter as a Gryffindor, he was not in the least bit surprised. He confidently, and maybe with a slight swagger, crossed the hall to the loudly cheering table. He took his rightful place beside his new friend Sirius Black. He turned and nodded to Sirius, acknowledging that they'd both gotten exactly what they wanted.

"Gryffindor," James commented, a wide smile on his face. Sirius returned the smile. The pair then turned back to the sorting. There were only a few more first years left. One of them, looking extremely nervous and dejected, was the boy from the train, the one they had bothered about wanting to be in Slytherin. James turned to his right and saw, looking relatively sad and upset herself, the read-headed girl who was with the boy.

'Lily,' James thought, remembering her name from their encounter back at King's Cross station. She and her greasy haired friend had been planning to be in the same house, Slytherin. But now, they would both have to be in Gryffindor, which seemed very unlikely. That boy was definitely not Gryffindor material. Even just looking at him, James felt like he was slimy, a clear-cut trait of Slytherin.

'If he gets into Gryffindor,' James thought. He couldn't even complete that thought because it was so ridiculous. That nervous, slippery, slimy boy –Snivellus- belonged with the equally slippery and slimy Slytherins.

Scott, Moira was called and James briefly recognized one of the girls that had shared their boat trip over with them. Sirius apparently knew her. They'd given each other a friendly nod when they'd all boarded, but then James and Sirius had been too busy trying to entice the squid that the large man, Hagrid, had mentioned to pay to much attention to her or the other girl.

She was sorted into Slytherin, meeting up with her friend from the boat who had been sorted into the same house earlier. Finally, James would see if his estimation was right. Next up…

"Snape, Severus!" Professor Greensleigh called. James watched him carefully. He made his way to the hat, his movements hesitant and, in James' estimation, fairly snakelike. He sat on the stool, had the hat placed on his greasy black hair, and waited. James knew that the Hat was delving into Snivellus' brain to try and sort him. Perhaps the hat would even hold a brief conversation with him.

James' sorting had been relatively brief. The Sorting Hat had quickly picked up on James' naturally courageous personality. It had seen that, while James was very smart and able with magic, and extremely loyal towards his friends and family, courage was the biggest part of James. It had taken the hat about 20 seconds to figure this all out.

However, as James focused in on Snivellus' sorting, he realised that the hat seemed to be taking an inordinate amount of time. His father had told him about Hatstalls, where the Sorting Hat couldn't decide which house to place you in to; your sorting would take minutes as opposed to seconds. This sorting was looking much like that, when finally the slit just above the brim of the hat opened and spoke.

"Slytherin!"

James let out a sigh of relief. As the time had extended on, James had become more and more concerned that Snape might be sorted into Gryffindor. If that were to happen James would have been forced to essentially re-evaluate his entire world view. Thankfully, that didn't happen. James settled back into his calm, confident emotional state.

However, in that moment, James made a mental note to keep a close eye on Snivellus. Something about him set James on edge.


	8. Chapter 7: This Most Auspicious Meeting

_Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You too? I thought I was the only one"_

 _~C. S. Lewis_

* * *

 **Chapter Seven**

 **This Most Auspicious Meeting**

* * *

The Sorting Ceremony ended when 'Zeyers, Penelope' was sorted into Hufflepuff. Remus had paid close attention to the ceremony after he'd been sorted, curious about who else made up the first year student body. He was still a little apprehensive, still a little worried that his secret might get out and he might be forced out of the school.

As he sat watching people sorted, several more into Gryffindor, Remus had a vow to himself. He would be friendly with his housemates. He would learn their names and say hello to them in the hallways. He would work with them in class if that were required. But he wouldn't get too close. He'd keep them at arm distance. The closer people got to him, the easier it was to discover his secret and the worse the betrayal that would eventually come was bound to be.

The sorting finished and Remus expected a dinner to begin. However, instead of turning to their plates, many of the upperclassman remained looking at the head table. Remus turned to look that way as well, wondering what was to come next. As Penelope took her seat, Professor Dumbledore, the man personally responsible for Remus' presence at the school, stood. He opened his arms in a welcoming gesture and smiled. His gaze quickly flitted across the sea of students.

"To the first year students, I bid you a very warm welcome. To the older students, I bid you a kind welcome back. I can tell that this year will be a great and adventurous time for one and all. Now, as I gaze out at all of your faces, I am reminded that now is not the time for grand speech making. It is, I believe, the time for eating and friendly discussion! So, without further ado, please join me in the traditional Welcome Feast!" Dumbledore raised his hands once more as he finished his words.

Dishes appeared on every table and the large ones in the center were quickly filled with food. Remus stared in awe at the sight of the huge feast. His mother was a good cook, the best in Remus' opinion. However, the small Lupin family coffers had meant that the food available for cooking was fairly simple. The food Remus saw before him looked exotic and extravagant in comparison.

It looked like a traditional English feast, with all the favourites on plates along the table. Remus quickly filled his plate, wanting to try as many of the dishes as he possibly could. He then quickly dug into the meal, excited by the tastes that filled his mouth.

"I'm James," the boy sitting across from Remus spoke, "and this is Sirius. Pretty awesome that we've been sorted into Gryffindor, huh? I mean, it is the best house!" Both him and the other boy sitting beside him, Sirius, looked expectantly at Remus.

"Yeah, awesome," he returned after swallowing the food in his mouth. He had responded to the question, but only barely. He hoped it would discourage James from continuing. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

"My whole family's been in Gryffindor for years so it wasn't really that much of a surprise. How about yours? What house were they in?" Expecting the cessation of conversation, Remus had once again taken a large bite of food and was forced to awkwardly chew and swallow his food.

"My dad was in Gryffindor. He'll be happy I am too. My mum's a muggle so I do not think she will really care." Remus kept his tone conversational, but not overly friendly. James seemed like a nice enough bloke, if a little pushy and loud, but Remus had already made up his mind. James, his friend Sirius, and anyone else who tried to befriend him would be met with a friendly stonewall.

"What do your parents think about all this?" James asked a redheaded girl a few people over from him. "Being muggles do they have opinions about houses? Do they even know about the different houses?" The girl, who had previously been focused on her food, simply ignored James' question.

Remus, no longer the focus of James' questions, returned to his dinner.

* * *

Dinner slowly blended in to dessert. Eventually, the platters holding hot, savoury, and salty food stopped refilling themselves. They then filled with various sweets and treats. Remus' eyes grew large at the selection that lay before him. He had a fairly large sweet tooth and always favoured dessert. He wished he hadn't eaten quite so much at dinner, but still took a few sweets. If need be, he could squirrel them away for later.

As Remus ate dessert, he stealthily observed the other first year Gryffindors. He had always been good at reading people, looking for signs that something was about to go wrong. He wanted to know whom he would be living with for the next several years to help him prepare to keep them at arms length.

He started with the girls. There were four of them. The redhead James had tried to engage with earlier; Remus thought her name was Lily. Sitting beside Lily was a dark haired girl with a pinched expression named Vitoria. She sat tall and rigid, as if she'd been taught to sit that way her entire life. Remus thought that she must have been a pureblood from an ancient wizarding family. Then there were two brunettes; one with a confident air about her who Remus believed was called Marlene. The other brunette was much more mousy and quite. She had large wide eyes that seemed to shimmer with enjoyment at everything around her. Alicia, Remus remembered her name. Her quite nature had been a positive for Remus and he had made a mental note to remember her name; she could easily be someone he could get to know better than the others.

The girls were all busy in their own conversations amongst each other and Remus assumed that, if he didn't make too much of an effort to get to know them, neither would they. It would be easy to keep the girls in a more acquaintance zone.

Remus then turned to the boys. There were three others beside himself who had been sorted into Gryffindor. Loud, pushy James and his equally outgoing friend Sirius, and quiet Peter whom Remus had met on the train platform after they collided. In his estimation, James and Sirius would be hard to keep at arms length; both boys didn't seem to take 'no' for an answer and would go after what they wanted until it was there's. Peter, though, was much like Alicia in Remus' eyes. Both were mousy and quiet and Remus could see himself forming some sort of friendly relationship with the light brown haired boy. Though the way Peter was looking at James and Sirius, like they were the most impressive people in the room made Remus a little hesitant about the boy.

For Remus, after the initial questioning by James, dinner went smoothly. The older students focused on their friends and food, leaving just the new first years. The girls all seemed to be getting on, and were mostly focused on each other, ignoring the boys completely. The boys, the three other first years, also seemed to be getting along. James and Sirius were huddled together, occasionally throwing looks in the red haired girls' direction, obviously talking about them. The third boy sat beside Sirius, leaning towards the messy haired boy; he was obviously listening in and hoping to be included by the other two.

Suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd. The food that remained on the platters disappeared. Remus slowly turned towards the head table, certain that the changes had occurred because of a forthcoming speech. Dumbledore, his father explained, always gave a speech welcoming the students and commencing the new year. His first address had been a little short, Remus had thought. Now, it made sense. There was most likely a longer speech about to be made.

"Once again, welcome. I am looking forward to quite the amazing year with you all! Just a few reminders and statements about rules. The forest on the grounds is forbidden to all students, except with the express consent and/ or supervision of a professor. I know it may be tempting to venture into it's depths, but let me assure you, there are a great number of beasts that dwell in the forest that will kill you without a second thought."

Remus couldn't help but suck in a breath. Was Dumbledore talking about him? Warning students that there was someone dangerous at school? But the headmaster wasn't looking at Remus and continued on with his speech without lingering on the topic. It must have just been Remus' near-constant paranoia that had read more into the words than was meant.

"Jinxes, hexes, and other forms of magic are not to be used in corridors between classes. Practice of skills you have learned is strongly encouraged, but not on other students without their permission!

"Now that those rules have been explained, a few start of term remarks. For those who have just entered Hogwarts for the first time, know that you are a part of something quite special. For the next seven years, you will hone your magic and explore your boundaries. You will develop deep bonds and lifelong friendships. Your houses will become your families, the people that will make the journey with you.

"And with that, I dare say, it is time that you be off for bed. Prefects, if you will." Dumbledore motioned with his hands into the crowds, then returned to his seat. Slowly, students began to stand and trickle out of the Great Hall. Remus, and the other first years, remained sitting. He had no idea where he was going and just waited until someone told him. James and Sirius resumed excitedly talking with each other. They were discussing what creatures the forest could possibly hold. Remus was quite impressed by their imaginations and the myriad exotic and dangerous creatures they were coming up with.

'If only they knew,' Remus thought. Dumbledore had talked about family and lifelong friends. As much as Remus wished that for himself, he knew it was out of the question. He would never belong, never be accepted by anyone but his parents.

* * *

Sirius was bouncing. Actually physically bouncing. He hadn't been sorted into Slytherin. In fact, it was almost the exact opposite. His family would _hate_ this. It made him positively giddy. On top of that, his new friend James had been sorted into Gryffindor as well. Sirius couldn't have dreamed of things going any better.

Dinner had just finished, and the students had been dismissed. All the first years, even those sitting at the different tables, were hesitantly waiting for further instruction. None of them, Sirius realised, knew where to go or what to do. Finally, a tall, fairly muscular guy and a stick thin girl with straight brown hair approached the awaiting Gryffindor first years. The boy had a warm smile on his face that continued up to his chocolate brown eyes; his expression was so foreign to Sirius that he found it a little off-putting.

"Hello, I'm Frank and this is Patricia. We are fifth year Prefects and we'll be showing you up to the Gryffindor common room and dorms. We'll also tell you all you need to know about Gryffindor and Hogwarts. Ask any questions that come to mind! Now, shall we be off?" Frank's voice was cheerful and welcoming.

The girl, Patricia, on the other hand looked like she was judging each of them right then. Her expression was closed and haughty, the complete opposite of Frank. She reminded Sirius of all the people, boys and girls alike, that he'd grown up with. That fact alone made it painfully obvious that she would not be his friend any time soon.

The first years all stood and followed Frank. Sirius and James walked directly behind Frank, peppering him with indiscriminate questions about what they'd be learning, what life was like in Gryffindor, and if Frank, who happened to be on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, had any tips on making the team. A first year hadn't made a house team in over fifty years, but both James and Sirius were determined that at least one of them would break the streak.

The small group made their way through the halls of Hogwarts. They ascended and descended several sets of stairs, some of them having moved and changed their final terminus. Finally, the group came to a halt in front of a large portrait. The hallways were lined with various paintings and portraits so at first Sirius wasn't sure what was going on. What did a painting of an overweight woman have to do with them?

"Well, first years," Frank said, turning in a slow circle to face in their direction. He had a strange glint in his eyes. "Beyond this door is the greatest common room in Hogwarts. It contains the best furniture, the warmest fire, the most comfortable beds, and, most importantly, the best people."

Frank stepped aside giving the group a good look at the portrait. Sirius had distinctly heard the word door and so began trying to locate a door, or something that would pass as a door. Growing up in the magical world, Sirius knew that wizards often hid things for security purposes. However, no matter where he looked, he couldn't find a thing like a door.

"Good evening," the portrait suddenly spoke. "Speak the password and enter the great Gryffindor dormitories!"

"The Fat Lady guards the entrance to the common room and dormitories. She requires a password, which changes every month or so. The new password will be posted on the bulletin board in the common room. The bulletin board will also hold any and all important notices so check it out every once and a while," Frank spoke in explanation. He smiled down at the first years, enjoying the little trick he'd played on them before continuing.

"Girls and boys dormitories are up separate stair cases. They are rigged so boys can't go up to the girls, so don't even try. Your things have already been brought up so you don't have to worry about that. Tomorrow at breakfast you will be given your class schedules so don't sleep too late and miss it."

Frank then turned back to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"In omnia paratus!" Frank spoke in a clear and commanding voice. The Fat Lady nodded, accepting the password. The portrait then swung open, revealing a low entrance and a warm glow beyond. Frank stepped into the entrance and towards the common room. The first years followed and Patricia brought up the rear.

Sirius' mother and father had lovingly spoken of the cool dungeon location of the Slytherin common room. Sirius had never felt that it would be a particularly pleasant place to stay. It sounded cool, damp, and generally unwelcoming. The minute he stepped into the Gryffindor common room, he felt like the complete opposite. It was warm and homey with a crackling fire in the hearth and plushy comfortable furniture through the room.

"Girls' dorms are up those stairs," Frank spoke, motioning to one of the spiral staircases flanking the entrance. "Boys' are up the others. First year dorms are the third door up each flight. That's the tour. Feel free to explore your dorms and the common room. It's past curfew so exploring the castle at this time would result in a deduction of house points and a possible detention. My advice is stick to Gryffindor and explore elsewhere tomorrow.

"So, with that, I bid you goodnight. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate." Frank gave them one final smile, then turned and climbed the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Sirius turned to James, ready to decide what their next move was. One of the other two boys, the taller, thinner one, followed Frank up the stairs. The girls, already moving as one group, walked into the relatively empty common room and sat before the fire.

James returned Sirius' look and then turned to the second boy who was standing, rather awkwardly in Sirius' estimation, just behind the pair. Sirius found it a little strange, being shadowed by a stranger. James, for his part, didn't seem concerned about it. He smiled warmly at the boy; Sirius instantly began comparing James to Frank.

"Peter, right?" James asked warmly. The other boy, looking more and more awkward with each passing second, turned bright red and nodded instead of speaking. "I'm James and this is Sirius. We're both excited about being in Gryffindor. It seems like it is going to be pretty awesome, don't you think?"

Peter remained silent. Sirius found him very odd and, under different circumstances, would not have made the effort of befriending him. James, however, seemed to want to know and become friendly with as many people as possible.

"Hey, Sirius," James turned back to him, catching Sirius slightly by surprise, "how about we head up to our dorms, swap horror stories and whatnot. I think our fourth headed that way already." Peter seemed to pale, his complexion resembling that of a ghost. Sirius focused in on James' phrasing. He said 'our' like the four first-year Gryffindors were already a group, even though they, besides perhaps James and Sirius, hadn't interacted at all. It seemed like James was going to, through sheer force of will, make the Gryffindors friends.

* * *

Sirius plopped down onto a four-post bed; he assumed it had been assigned to him because his trunk had been placed in front of it. James was busily digging through his trunk, pulling out mementos and keepsakes. Sirius felt a pang of jealousy as he watched, wishing he had things from his family that he wanted to proudly display. Peter was curled up on his own bed, anxiously staring at James. He had been on edge since James suggested their little pow-wow, probably worried that his life's story would be unsatisfactory to James and the messy haired boy would withdraw his attention.

Finally, Sirius turned his attention to the last member of the foursome. When the other three had arrived, they'd found him lying on his bed, his nose buried in a book. He'd momentarily looked up when they entered, but hadn't acknowledged them beyond that. He'd acted similarly at dinner, shovelling food into his mouth and not really engaging in any conversations. Sirius wondered why he so obviously didn't want to get to know the people he'd be spending the next seven years with.

'Maybe he's just shy,' Sirius thought as James finished up his unpacking and hopped onto his bed. James then turned and faced the room. Sirius lay back on his bed, but turned to face James. Peter excitedly sat on his own bed and stared at James. Remus, at least that's what Sirius thought his name was, continued to read his book.

"So," James spoke into the silence, "I think we should take this time, before school starts in earnest, to get to know each other. We'll be sleeping in the same room for the next seven years, we should at least be on friendly terms." He then looked around to take the pulse of the room.

Sirius shrugged in a noncommittal fashion. He felt that it was a good idea, but he wasn't as enthusiastic about it as James. Peter nodded enthusiastically, clearly a little desperate to make a connection with James. Remus continued to read; he didn't even lower it the tiniest bit.

"I'll go first," Sirius spoke up. He slowly sat up and faced the room. He figured now was as good a time as any to share about his family, though he intended to keep the darker, less savoury bits to himself. At least for the time being. Some of his life's story was not 'just met' material.

"I'm Sirius Black, of the 'Ancient House of Blacks'." He spoke the words with the emphasis his family believed they deserved. He also paused a beat to check the expressions of those around him. Peter looked down momentarily; it was so quick that Sirius could have played it off as his imagination, but he didn't. Peter had at least some knowledge of who his family was. Remus, unsurprisingly, didn't look away from his book.

"I'm the first person in my family to be sorted into Gryffindor. My entire family is pureblood, a proud fact for many of them. I, personally, could care less. I have a younger brother, Regulus. He'll be here next year. My favourite Quidditch team is the Kenmare Kestrels and I would like to play chaser here at Hogwarts." Sirius racked his brain for more to say. Before he could, James jumped in.

"I'm James Potter. I grew up in Godric's Hallow. Most of my family has been in Gryffindor for centuries. I'm an only child, have a few cousins though. My family's also fairly pureblood; there are rumours we may be related to the Peverells. I happily cheer for Puddlemere and, likewise will attempt to be names chaser on the house team.

"You next, Peter?" James finished with a winning smile at Peter. He had been hanging onto James' every word, but now that he was in the spotlight he looked like he wanted to run, or hurl.

"I'm- uh- Peter Pettigrew," he began. His voice was soft and had a slight waver in it. He was also looking down at his hands as he spoke. "My dad was in Gryffindor and he'll be very- uh- happy that I'm- uh- also in it. Uh- I like Quidditch and- uh- Puddlemere. But uh- I don't- I don't play. Not very good on a broom." Peter spoke the last bit in almost a whisper and both James and Sirius had to lean in to hear him.

Even when he had finished speaking, Peter didn't look up. James smiled extremely brightly, though Peter didn't notice. He then got up and stood in front of Peter's bed. Finally, James reached over and placed a comforting hand on Peter's knee. This caused Peter, red faced, to look up and was met with the full force of James' smile. The obvious displays of affection seemed to revive the sandy-haired boy, and Peter once again resumed his awe-filled staring.

"You just need more flying practice is all," James added comfortingly. Peter looked like he could kiss James. Not wanting to be a witness to that, Sirius turned to Remus. He still lay, almost motionless, on his bed. His back was still clutched tightly in his hands. Sirius wondered if Remus had any awareness of the rest of the room. Soon, James would be finished comforting Peter and he'd then turn his attention to Remus, expecting him to continue the introductions. Would Remus be prepared? Would he participate?

Sirius watched as James, having returned Peter to his previous awestruck state, moved to stand in front of Remus. To Sirius' surprise, James didn't speak; he simply stood at the foot of the bed and stared down Remus. It was several, slightly awkward moments of silence, but eventually Remus slowly lowered his book and looked up at James.

"Can I help you with something?" Remus asked with genuine concern, not the contempt that such a question usually contained. James smiled warmly at him. Sirius wondered how many things James had gotten with that smile. And how much trouble he'd gotten out of.

"I'm James Potter, one of your fellow roommates. This is Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew." James motioned to each boy as he introduced him. "We were just introducing ourselves and saying a few things about us. Figured we should at least by acquaintances if we're stuck with each other for the next seven years. We've all gone, so now it's just you."

Remus remained silent for a while; James continued smiling at him. Finally, James seemed to wear down the other boy. Remus sighed and marked his place in his book with his finger.

"I'm Remus Lupin," he spoke. He seemed to hope that would be enough for James. He had no such luck; James continued smiling down at him. "My father was a Gryffindor; my mother was a muggle. I have no siblings and I'm not a big fan of Quidditch."

Remus then returned to his book, not even looking back at James. Sirius stared, slightly incredulous. Despite his book reading, Remus had hit all the points the others had. Apparently, he hadn't been as aloof as he appeared.

James seemed content with that because he returned to his bed. The rest of the night was spent with the boys discussing themselves and their interests. There was a brief argument about which Quidditch team was better, but otherwise the boys got along extremely well. Remus, for his part, continued reading. Occasionally, James would lob a question Remus' way in an attempt to draw him in. Occasionally, Remus would answer the question, but mostly he just continued reading.

When the foursome finally called it a night it was very late.


	9. Chapter 8: The Slimy & the Incomparable

_Men of lofty genius when they are doing the least work are the most active_

 _~Leonardo Da Vinci_

* * *

 **Chapter Eight**

 **The Slimy and the Incomparable**

* * *

The first morning at Hogwarts dawned bright and, in the opinion of the very tired James, much too early. Maybe they'd stayed up too late last night, but James didn't really regret that. He'd never had someone to talk to late into the night before and the experience created a warm, fulfilling glow within him.

Finally, the excitement that the prospect of learning magic brought won out over James' tiredness and the boy pulled himself out of bed. He found Sirius in a similar state, his previously perfectly coifed hair sticking out at odd angles. James, whose hair was normally on the messy side, assumed he looked a lot worse. The two boys smiled at each other, still slightly sleepy, before they got out of bed and began to prepare for the day. Peter was already awake and ready, quietly sitting on his bed waiting for the others. Remus was already gone, his bed neatly made.

After about twenty minutes, Sirius and James, with Peter trailing after, made it down to breakfast in the Great Hall. They found Remus sitting about halfway down the table, the seats around him empty. He had a plate full of food and a book open before his nose. Everything about his posture screamed 'closed off' and 'stay away.' Normally, James would have confidently walked over and sat beside Remus, but Sirius was obviously much too hungry because he sat down at the first available spot. He then quickly began shovelling food into his mouth. James temporarily admitted defeat and sat beside Sirius, with Peter joining them.

About half way through breakfast, a witch with an emerald robe and spectacles began moving throughout the Gryffindor table. James guessed she was the head of Gryffindor, but wasn't sure on her name. She stopped at each student and handed him or her a piece of parchment. It wasn't long before she stood before James, Sirius, and Peter.

"Here are your schedules boys. First class starts in twenty minutes; you better not be late." She gave a knowing look at James and Sirius, like she was expecting them to be late for some reason. She then continued on down the table. When she reached Remus, who was sitting alone a few seats away, James noticed that she gave him two pieces. The schedule and something else. James was instantly curious. However, he wasn't given long to dwell on it.

"Shall we? Wouldn't want to be late for Charms would we?" Sirius exclaimed, his plate cleaned and a look of eager anticipation on his face. James nodded, quickly flinging his bag over his shoulder.

* * *

James and Sirius walked into their first ever magical class, wide smiles spread across their faces. Peter quietly followed behind the pair. Their great, grand adventure was finally beginning. James had stared, wide-eyed with amazement, as his parents performed even the simplest household spells. Despite being surrounded by magic on a daily basis, not actually being allowed to perform any spells kept a certain glow about it all. Now, with their walk into the classroom, the barrier of performance would finally be removed.

They could now practice magic!

Other first years, Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, were seated throughout the classroom. A steady hum of conversation filled the room as the others excitedly talked about what was in store for them. They all looked just as excited as James felt. All except one lone, hunched figure sitting in the corner. He was well apart from everyone and staring at the table in front of him.

As soon as James spotted him, he quickly moved in his direction. James had grown up essentially alone; he had come to Hogwarts with every intention of making as many friends as possible. Sirius and Peter had been relatively easy to befriend; the third Gryffindor first year seemed to be putting up more of a fight.

Almost from the start, Remus had been distancing himself. He hadn't said a word at dinner and barely participated in James' get-to-know-you chat. Now, just like at breakfast, he was sitting almost as far from everyone else as he could. James saw it as a challenge, one he was most certainly going to meet.

"Mind if we sit here?" James asked Remus. The other boy slowly raised his head and took in James, Sirius, and Peter. He paused, looking reluctant, but eventually nodded. James readily took the seat right next to Remus, and Peter and Sirius followed suit.

"So, which class are you looking forward to the most?" James asked, smiling warmly at Remus. The other boy just continued looking at his hands. James smiled wider. "You can ignore me all you want, but I'm not going to stop. I think we could be great friends, and I'm not going to stop asking you questions and talking to you. You might as well het used to it and answer my questions."

Remus continued to stare at his hands, but a smile began to spread across his face. James could feel he was getting somewhere and was about to continue to push Remus, when a short man wandered to the classroom. He stopped at the front of the room and glanced around.

"Welcome, first years," he spoke, "This is Charms and I am Professor Flitwick." James sighed, upset that the progress he'd made had been halted. He shot Remus a look that made it clear that he would not be giving up, then focused on the professor.

Professor Flitwick, as he'd introduced himself, was quite on the short side. Standing in front of his desk, as he was now, made it clear that he was barely taller than it. He had very white hair, much like Dumbledore, but his beard was significantly shorter. He had on periwinkle robes that James had a sneaking suspicion were actually made for a child.

"Charms is a vital magical practice. Throughout the rest of your life, you will rely on the skills and knowledge you gain from this class more than any other. Many of my colleagues will disagree with me on that point, but I assure you it is the truth. Just think of your parents around the house; which form of magic do they use the most?" Professor Flitwick paused in his speech to let his 'revelation' sink in. James had already figured that Charms would be his most practical class; that didn't mean it would be his favourite or the one he found the most interesting.

"Now, to see where you all are," Professor Flitwick pulled out his wand and waved it around. Glasses of water with ice in them appeared before each student. "You will attempt to perform a simple cooling charm. In order to do so, focus on the water and repeat the incantation.

Professor Flitwick produced a glass before himself as well.

"Frigus!" he spoke clearly. Almost instantly, the water in his glass froze solid. "Now, I'm not expecting your charm to be that strong. I will be quite satisfied, and you should too, if you are able to keep your ice cube from melting for five minutes. We'll have a few minutes of practice and then I will go around and see how each of you are doing. Begin!"

James eagerly grabbed his wand and focused. He pictured his glass frozen just like Professor Flitwick's, and then spoke the incantation with the same confidence as the short professor.

"Frigus!"

Glee and pride filled James' being as the glass before him began to frost over slightly. It wasn't the solid ice of Flitwick's, but it was definitely colder than it had been only seconds before. Triumphant, he looked around to see how the others were doing. Sirius had achieved an almost identical result to James, with his glass just a little less frosty than the messy haired boy. Remus' glass was not visibly colder, but after watching the other boy's class for several seconds, deemed the light brown haired boy successful. Peter, on the other hand, seemed to have not managed anything as his ice quickly melted.

"I think I'm quite charming, don't you?" Sirius asked, a sly smile on his face at his stupid joke. James laughed at his friend's joke before leaning back in his chair and observing the other students in the class. He, too, thought he was quite good at magic and was, also, quite charming.

* * *

By the end of class, James, Sirius, and Remus, and a smattering of Hufflepuffs had all managed to keep the ice in their glass solid. Peter, after about twenty attempts, had managed to set his glass on fire. James and Sirius had found it hilarious, especially when Professor Flitwick put it out from across the room by making a stream of water shoot from his wand. Remus, much to James' pleasure had also cracked a smile.

There was definitely potential there.

Professor Flitwick dismissed them after explaining they would continue on next day and setting practice of the charm for homework. James and Sirius left with Peter, playfully ribbing him still about his flaming glass of water. Peter was turning very red, but seemed to be taking the playful antagonism fairly well.

The class quickly split in two, with the Hufflepuffs heading down one hallway and the Gryffindors down another. Now in the smaller group, James broke off from poking fun at Peter and lagged to the back of the group. Sirius and Peter followed suit so quickly the female contingent of Gryffindor was leading the group with the four males at he back. Remus had exited the class last and had been hanging around the back before James slowed down to meet him.

"So, what do you think of Professor Flitwick and Charms?" James asked conversationally. He looked right at Remus when he spoke, indicating he was asking the thin, sandy haired boy the question. Remus ignored both the question and the look and continued walking through the hallway; his head was down, focused on the floor, and he clutched his Charms book tightly to his chest.

"I think he's probably got some amazing skills and he'll dazzle us with them at various points throughout the year. Leave us in awe or something." Sirius piped up when it became obvious that Remus wasn't going to offer his opinion.

"Oh," said James, pivoting his head to look at Sirius who was walking on his other side, "what makes you say that? I mean, he obviously needs to know what he's talking about in order to teach us and his frozen glass was pretty cool," James and Sirius both chuckled at the pun, "but why do you think he's like a savant or something?"

Sirius smiled mischievously and his face, which had been handsome before, only increased in attractiveness.

"Someone his height would need to have some mad skills in order to be taken seriously." It was a backhanded comment, praising his supposed skill while ridiculing his stature, and James enjoyed it all. He snorted in surprise at the comment and then heartily laughed at the humour. Peter laughed after James, having waited to see how the taller boy would respond. Out of the corner of his eye, James caught Remus' reaction. The thin boy looked as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself. James decided to pounce.

"Yes, Remus," he spun quickly to his other side and caught the aforementioned boy off guard, "did you have something to say. You should not feel the need to keep things to yourself. Friends won't judge."

Remus was momentarily stunned, probably by James' use of the word 'friends' to describe their relationship. Remus had barely spoken and yet James, unilaterally, had decided and proudly declared that they were friends.

Before Remus could respond, the quartet, along with the rest of the Gryffindors arrived at their next class. James confidently strode in and sat at an empty table in the middle of the room. Sirius and Peter readily followed him and, much to James' pleasure, Remus took the empty seat to James' right.

* * *

Their class after Charms was Transfiguration. James' quickly found the idea of changing their appearance of objects, and even people, very fascinating. The only downside to the class was the professor. The same witch who had handed out their schedules that morning was also responsible for teaching them Transfiguration. She was a middle-aged witch named McGonagall, with her hair pulled into a tight bun and an almost omnipresent stern expression. She wore square glasses in front of her beady eyes. Professor McGonagall radiated strictness and gave James the impression that goofing around would not be tolerated in her class. For a boy who enjoyed a good joke or prank, he was sure that he would occasionally come into conflict with her.

Most of their first Transfiguration class consisted of her explaining about her magical subject, carefully detailing the differences between Transfiguration and Charms, and then detailing the rules and procedures of her classroom. She also gave the first paper of the school year, a foot of parchment discussing , in-depth and with examples, the intricacies of Transfiguration and how to determine if a spell was classified as a charm or a transfiguration spell.

The class after Transfiguration was not any better in James' opinion. He already wasn't looking forward to it, based solely on the title. History of Magic had very little appeal. It would not, James accurately surmised, involve practical magic. There would be no spells to cast during the class; it was just lecture after lecture about the past. And, while some found the past endlessly fascinating, James was not one of those people. His least favourite part of family get-togethers was when his older relatives and his parents' friends began reminiscing about the past. It always put James right to sleep.

When he and Sirius walked into the class, his mood went up a little. Standing at the front of the room, behind a decaying lectern was a ghost. A class taught by a ghost could be mildly interesting. Then the ghost, Professor Binns, began to talk and James' mood soured. The ghost spoke with a monotone, meaning that even the interesting parts of the past, where there were wars and bloodshed, would be drained of their excitement level. Nothing was exciting when relayed by a person with an emotionless voice.

The one upside of the class was that, once the professor began lecturing, he didn't notice a lot of what went on in the classroom. There was definite goofing off potential and would make the prospect of listening to hours of droning lecture a little more bearable.

Finally, James found himself sitting in his final class of the day. Of all the classes offered besides maybe flying lessons, Defense Against the Dark Arts definitely had the most potential. It offered the opportunity to actually perform magic, to discuss potentially dangerous objects, animals, and curses, and to come face to face with the darkest magic imaginable and learn how to defeat it. All of it sounded amazing to James. He couldn't wait for the class to begin. Even if it was with the hated Slytherin house.

The professor arrived only seconds after the last students had settled in, almost as if he'd been watching them. He strode into the room, his head held high; James sensed a high level of arrogance in the man. He wore dark, almost black, midnight blue robes. They looked expensive, like something his father wore when entertaining friends on special occasions. This man had money, a lot of it, and wanted them all to know. Most professors did not make enough to afford one of those expensive sets of robes and, if they did happen to own one, they wouldn't wear it day-to-day. Yet, this professor was.

Sirius lightly elbowed him in the ribs and gave James a look that said he couldn't believe the guy. James returned the look in kind.

"Hello, first year," the professor spoke once he'd reached the front of the classroom. His tone was haughty and condescending. Out of the corner of his eye, James noticed Sirius clench his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"My name is Albert Strinkley. You will refer to me as Professor Strinkley. I have taught the subject of Defense Against the Dark Arts for ten years. I can assure you that I am the most qualified person for this job as I have extensive experience with all of the Dark Arts."

A shiver ran up James' spine. Professor Strinkley spoke of himself with such arrogance that James instantly disliked him. But what really put James on edge was the way Strinkley had spoken of the Dark Arts. Alone, his words could be interpreted as some one who had experienced them and fought against them, or researched them in order to better combat them. However, when combined with the reverence and adoration that had filled Professor Strinkley's voice, James was left with a very different impression. It seemed that the professor might have practiced the Dark Arts and not found them as distasteful as they truly were.

"This class will not be simple. Defending against the power of dark magic is not easy. Not to mention that the Dark Arts are many and varied. They are quite the complicated subject. Some of you," Professor Strinkley paused and looked meaningfully at the Gryffindor half of the class, "will not be able to cut it, I'm afraid. I will try to instruct you as best I can, but a … natural talent is often required to be truly successful. Only the right kind of wizard can truly match the Dark Arts." With each statement, James felt his dislike form into hatred for the man. He turned to look at Sirius, and saw that the boy's fists were clenched so tight that his fingernails were digging into his fleshy palm and his teeth and jaw were so rigid that the longhaired boy looked like a statue. Whatever James felt about the slimy Professor Strinkley, Sirius experienced it tenfold.

"Are you okay, mate?" James whispered to the longhaired boy, concern filling his face. Sirius was quite for several seconds, clenching even tighter. James was worried he might explode, but then he spoke.

"He's an arrogant, egomaniacal, pureblood fanatic and I can't believe he has a teaching post here. I mean his talk about 'the right kinds of wizard'? It's absolutely terrible!"

"I agree, mate," James spoke, placing a comforting hand on Sirius' arm. The other boy remained tense throughout the whole lesson, a long lecture on the dark arts that seemed more like praise than condemnation.

* * *

James was flying through his classes for the first few days. What was being taught, except for maybe History of Magic, was at the minimum mildly interesting. He could get away with goofing off in class. He could easily master the magic, and put in enough effort in homework that he achieved decent grades on it.

All of his professors liked him, with the exception of Strinkley. Despite his pureblood status, Strinkley's distaste of Gryffindor counted very strongly against him. Nothing James could do would make up for the house he was sorted into.

On the opposite side of spectrum of Professor Strinkley was the Deputy Headmaster and Herbology professor. Professor Greensleigh adored James. He sang his praises loudly and near-constantly. James could get away with almost anything in Herbology. It was quickly becoming his favourite subject.

Another of his favourites was Transfiguration. It was, by far, the subject he excelled at the most. Both the theory and the practice came almost naturally to him. It all made sense and he could perform most of the spells with only minimal practice. Even Professor McGonagall was growing on James. He wasn't able to goof off in her class as obviously. Instead of talking, James and Sirius were forced to pass notes. They actually practiced the skills and couldn't get away with jinxing each other, like they did elsewhere. But instead of resenting the forced rule following, James found he could deal with it. And, though he wouldn't admit it, he excelled even more when forced to actually focus on the magic.

By Wednesday of the first week, the Gryffindors had experienced all their subjects and met all their professors. James' confidence had grown with each subject and he was feeling pretty good about how his first year would unfold. The last subject for the Gryffindors was during the last period on Wednesday. Potions with Professor Slughorn.

James had been looking forward to Potions. Much of his family's wealth had been based on potions, so he was fairly confident that he would continue his streak and excel at this class as well. Plus, he'd heard that Professor Slughorn could recognize talent and boisterously acknowledged it. Rumour had it that he liked to 'collect' extraordinary people and James desperately wanted to be collected.

"Oh great," Sirius muttered under his breath as they entered the potions classroom, "Slytherins." James looked up and took in the sight of the Slytherin first years. The Gryffindors had been lucky in James' estimation, and only had one other class with the Slytherins, Defense Against the Dark Arts. He hoped that wasn't a sign.

The quartet found an unoccupied table near the middle left side of the classroom. They then began unpacking and preparing for the class. James decided that, in order to get on Professor Slughorn's good side, for at least the first few classes he would put in the effort. He would put his best student self on display, truly show what he could accomplish.

"Good afternoon!" a voice bellowed, grasping the attention of the students in the class. He stood behind a long table at the front of the class. Sitting on the table were three large cauldrons. From the smells and different coloured smoke that emanated from them, James deduced that each held a different potion.

"I am Professor Slughorn, potions master. I like to start my first classes off with a little challenge. So, gather round the table and take a good look at each of the three cauldrons. Each contains a different potion. Two are simple and will be ones you will learn this year. The third is much more complicated; it will not be something you learn until fifth year, and is your prize for the competition.

Professor Slughorn tapped the board next to him and three names appeared on the board. James assumed they were connected to the cauldrons.

 _Forgetfulness Potion_

 _Pepper Up Potion_

 _Invisibility Draught_

"The first part of the challenge is to correctly identify each of the three potions before you. Take a moment, study each potion, and be prepared with your answer." Professor Slughorn then opened his arms and invited the students forward.

A smile crossed James' face. His ancestor had invented the Pepper Up Potion. It was such a point of pride for the Potter family that every member was taught what it looked like, what it did, and how to brew it from a young age. James was positive he could identify that potion. He'd either have to go with instinct or guess on the other two.

The students quickly got to work. James examined the three potions and easily determined that the center cauldron contained the Pepper Up Potion. Unfortunately, the other two potions were a complete mystery. He had no idea what the characteristics of Forgetfulness Potion or Invisibility Draught were. Any identification he was to make would be a guess at best.

Instead of giving up right then, James chose to continue to examine the potions and hope for some sign to provide him with the answer.

"Professor," a soft voice spoke. All the heads of the students sprung up at the word and searched for the person who had spoken. It was none other than Severus Snape. James quickly began glaring daggers at the boy, angry that he may have identified the potions before him.

"Go on, Mr. –" Professor Slughorn paused.

"Snape, sir. The Forgetfulness potion is on the right. The Pepper Up Potion is in the middle. The Invisibility Draught is on the left." Snape spoke quietly; James found it hard to hear him at points. Professor Slughorn broke into a wide smile.

"Excellent! Absolutely correct! Well done my boy!" He patted Snape on the back a few times. He then pulled out his wand and made the cauldrons vanish, except for a small vial of the Invisibility Draught, the reward for the challenge. On the blackboard, taking the place of the three potions was a set of instructions.

"These are the steps for brewing the Forgetfulness Potion. This is your task for the rest of the class. The student who brews the best potion will be awarded with this vial of Invisibility Draught. You have the rest of class; all the ingredients you need can be found in the storeroom. Good luck!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the students scrambled to get ready and begin brewing. They had about an hour left and, according to the instructions, it would take 45 minutes. That was if they were absolutely perfect and, seeing as they were first years brewing their first potion, they would most likely be nowhere near perfect. They would need all the time they could get.

About halfway through, James quickly assessed his potion in regards to the instructions and descriptions on the board. He was sorely disappointed. According to the description, at this point his potion should be changing from white to clear with each stir. James' potion was definitely not becoming clear. It was, in fact, slightly off white, almost grey really.

Definitely not good.

James was busy studying the board, trying to figure out where he'd gone wrong when Slughorn's voice boomed out over the crowd.

"Well, well, well! What have we here?" He was standing over Snape's shoulder, peering into his cauldron, a look of pride on his face. He stuck his wand in the cauldron, obviously testing it. When he pulled his wand out, a wide smile crossed his face.

"Absolutely perfect, Mr. Snape! I dare say one of the best I've seen in years! Congratulations! We have a winner for our little competition."

James watched as Slughorn produced the vial of Invisibility Draught and handed it over to Snape. A knot formed in the pit of his stomach. Not only had he been bested by the slimy, greasy boy who'd chosen Slytherin, but he hadn't even come close with his potion. He'd messed up several steps and even missed one entirely.

As James left the class, stunned and dejected, he focused on the two lessons he'd learned within it. Firstly, potions was not his class, not his class at all. Secondly, and more importantly, Severus Snape could beat him. That second fact, James vowed would never be allowed to occur again. Not if James had anything to say about it.


	10. Chapter 9: It Started Small

_Now, now my good man, this is no time for making enemies_

 _~Voltaire_

 _(On his deathbed when asked by a priest to renounce Satan)_

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

 **It Started Small**

* * *

As the weeks passed, James quickly discovered something. For him, magic was fairly easy. He wasn't perfect; he never got a spell on the first try. But it did take him significantly fewer tries than the rest of his classmates. He nearly froze his entire glass after only one day of practice in Charms. He transfigured his circular button into a square button after only two classes. Magic took effort, but for James, that effort was significantly less.

Luckily for James, Sirius seemed as naturally talented and provided James with a partner to goof off with. They would sit at the back of a class, or in a secluded corner and talk about Quidditch, or cool jinxes they'd heard about. When it came time to practice, they would get up and try a few times, then maybe, if they were making good progress, try one of the jinxes out on each other.

They had yet to become disruptive, so, with the exception of Professor McGonagall who was a stickler for rules, and Professor Strinkley who hated them, the professors let them get away with a lot. Remus, on the other hand, often gave them disapproving looks.

Ever since the first day, when James forced his friendship upon Remus, the sandy haired boy had been sitting with James, Sirius, and Peter for meals and classes. He still didn't say much, and would head off on his own to the library quite often, but James would take what he could get.

Remus, James decided, was good at magic, but he required more bookwork and effort to achieve comparable results to the messy haired boy. During classes the thin boy would take copious notes as the professors lectured. He would go about the practical magic with focus and determination. In the evenings, he always had a book open, taking more notes.

Unlike Remus, who was still keeping his distance, Peter never seemed to leave James' and Sirius' side. He spent nearly every waking minute with the pair, and had begun to partake in Sirius' and James' goofing off. He too wouldn't listen in class and, when practicing magic, would give up quickly and watch James and Sirius jinx each other. James was happy for the audience; he liked impressing Peter with his magical skill. It was like having a younger brother.

It was obvious to James that Peter's lack of scholarly focus was not a result of the ease with which he grasped the work. Peter was avoiding work not because he found it boring, but because he found it hard. James sometimes felt like he should help Peter, encourage him to continue his practice and give him pointers but James didn't want to loose his audience, and so he let Peter continue to give up.

He figured that if worse came to worse, he could always try and tutor Peter to ensure he passed his exams.

* * *

"I performed that simple shield charm much better than Price did! His was half the size of mine! I should have received those five house points, not Slytherin!" James complained loudly as the first year Gryffindors made their way to Transfiguration. In the nearly one month since the beginning of classes, James' opinion of Defense Against the Dark Arts and Professor Strinkley had only soured more and more. Now, after every class, James found at least one thing, though usually more, to complain about. Lately, the trend had focused on Strinkley's bias.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had been a Slytherin at school; he'd as much as bragged about it in several classes. He obviously favoured Slytherin, praising and rewarding them significantly more than the Gryffindors. He was also much harsher to the Gryffindors, yelling or punishing them for minor errors that the Slytherins got away with.

That day had been Shield Charms, and Professor Strinkley had promised five house points to the individual who could perform the best one. He'd given them twenty minutes of practice time, during which he'd given pointers only to the Slytherins and completely ignored the Gryffindors. Then, when time had come to perform the spell, Professor Strinkley had rewarded Slytherin Matthias Price. In James' estimation, Price's spell was cut rate and faulty, especially when compared to James' own.

"I agree," Sirius added, "Strinkley definitely had it out for anyone not in Slytherin. I mean, my spell was definitely better than Price's and yet Strinkley told me mine was not effective and would allow even the simplest jinx through. And then he didn't help me improve it! He turned quickly to Moira Scott who I thought was doing just fine and didn't really need any pointers."

"He didn't help me either," Peter spoke hesitantly. He had obviously been struggling with his Shield Charm, only producing wisps of smoke from his wand. Strinkley had berated Peter for his lack of skill, but offered no advice or aid.

"Just not fair! Not fair at all! We should bring it up to Professor McGonagall and see if we can't get something done, have some punishment enacted, and either ensure Professor Strinkley treats us fairly or else is dismissed." James' eyes sparkled with mischievous glee as the plan formed in his mind. Sirius met James' eye and understanding crossed the longer haired boy's face. They had only known each other a month, but in that time they'd become thick as thieves; they always could guess what the other was thinking.

The boys, along with the other Gryffindors and the Ravenclaws, filed into Transfiguration. The buttons that they had been practicing with for the past month were no longer on their desks, replaced instead by small wooden cups. For a minute, presented with the prospect of learning something new, James forgot all about his complaints regarding Strinkley. He quickly took his seat and focused on Professor McGonagall.

"Good afternoon," Professor McGonagall spoke, instantly quieting down any remaining conversations. "Your button transfiguration has been progressing along quite nicely. I think most of you have grasped the skill well enough that we can now move on. Next, I would like you to change your wooden cups into glass goblets. Now, this is a more difficult skill requiring more focus and a greater understanding of theory." Professor McGonagall then began an explanation of what was involved in the spell and James began to tune her out.

"Hey," Sirius whispered from James' right. James quickly shot Sirius a look, showing that he'd heard. The pair had quickly discovered that, if they were going to talk during McGonagall's class, they had to be as discreet as possible. Sirius then knocked his arm against James' and slid a scrap of parchment towards the other boy.

 _We still going through with it? –S_

It took James a moment to remember what 'it' Sirius was referring to. Then it clicked and he quickly scribbled a response.

 _Of course. Bring him down! Hang back after class? –J_

 _Excellent! Hey, wanna see who can change their cup first? I bet I can get it in ten tries –S_

 _You're on! –J_

"James," Remus suddenly hissed from James' left, "McGonagall." He looked up from the note he'd been passing with Sirius. Professor McGonagall was staring at him with an expectant look.

"Would you like me to repeat the question, Mr. Potter?" Are your notes that distracting?" Her expression made it clear that she knew he hadn't been writing about her lecture. James had two options, figure out what question had been asked and somehow answer it, or come clean and face Professor McGonagall reading his note aloud.

 _What's the most important step to a successful transfiguration?_

The words suddenly appeared on the note. James breathed a sigh of relief, then spoke. His tone was calm and cool, creating the appearance that he hadn't been almost caught.

"Sorry, Professor. I was just trying to get everything down. It is so important, after all. To answer your question, visualizing the object in its transfigured state is important to a successful transfiguration."

Professor McGonagall looked at him, making it clear that she didn't believe his excuse but letting him get away with it because he had provided her with an answer. James turned to Remus and mouthed 'I owe you' before focusing on McGonagall, determined to not have to face the same situation again.

To James, Remus was still a bit of a mystery. He often kept himself apart from the other first year Gryffindors, choosing to spend his free time on his own. James was also positive that Remus was hiding something from the rest of them. There was that strange second sheet of paper that the sandy haired boy had received with his schedule on the first day of class. Then a few days later, Remus had gotten really sickly looking, more so than usual, and said he was going to the infirmary to see if the matron had something for an upset stomach. However, when James had gone up later to check on his friend, Madame Pomfrey, the matron, had insisted that no one had been up to see her all day. The next day though, Remus looked much better and seemed to have returned to his normal self, so James didn't question it in the moment. Maybe Remus had chosen to just sleep it off in the dormitory instead of seeking a healer.

Yet, despite all this seclusion and secrecy, Remus was always willing to help his friends study and complete homework, once spending an entire evening trying to explain to Peter the proper way to transform his button to no avail. Whenever a professor was coming by their table while James and Sirius were goofing off, Remus would let the pair know so they could look like they were being productive. And, Remus had provided James with Professor McGonagall's question to get him out of a potentially sticky situation. The dichotomy of Remus' behaviour made it hard for James to pinpoint if the skinny boy wanted to be friends with the other Gryffindors, but James' constant craving for people to surround himself with lead him to not question the other boy too much. For the time being, Remus was sticking around most of the time and that was good enough for James. He could overlook the other things.

* * *

After class, the four Gryffindor first years stayed seated as the others filed out. Professor McGonagall was sitting behind a large mahogany desk at the front of the room, writing in a fairly battered book. Once the entire class had exited the classroom, the four boys led by James and Sirius walked up to the desk. McGonagall didn't look up.

"If you are here to apologize for goofing off in class today, Mr. Potter, I will gladly hear what you have to say. Otherwise, I have a lot of work I'd like to complete before dinner tonight and would prefer not to be interrupted." She momentarily paused her writing, lifting her quill and waited for James' response. Sirius and Peter both turned to look at James, expecting him to take the lead with this new unexpected hitch.

"Of course, Professor. I am terribly sorry about what happened. Your lectures are extremely important and not paying attention to them could have grave implications for my magical education and may even harm others if I miss-perform a spell," James apologized, his tone truly conciliatory. Sirius shot him a look having not expected the other boy to apologize and forego lodging a complaint like they'd planned. James, in turn, shot Sirius a look telling him to be patient.

"I should have been listening to your lecture," James continued, "however I was distracted by a … personal problem. " James paused, searching for the correct word to describe his situation with Professor Strinkley.

McGonagall, who had been looking at her notes in the aged book, finally looked up at the quartet in front of her. She lowered her quill and levelled them with a look encouraging James to continue. He took a shaky breath, falsely indicating his reticence to talk about the matter.

"Well, you see Professor, it's about our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Strinkley."

"Yes, Mr. Potter, what about him?"

James had to suppress a smile. He'd decided to appear reluctant to talk about it because he felt it would be more beneficial. If he was too eager, Professor McGonagall may not take his complaint seriously. However, reluctance showed that he didn't want to share it, didn't want to get Strinkley in trouble, but was compelled to talk about it because it was so important. And it seemed that his faux-reluctance was working. Professor McGonagall truly looked concerned, ready to help students in her house with whatever problem they were having.

"Well, occasionally in class, he appears to favour the Slytherin students over the Gryffindors. Today alone he failed to help Peter, who was seriously struggling with his Shield Charm, in favour of praising Slytherins who could perform the spell exceptionally already." James then turned to Peter who nodded in confirmation.

Professor McGonagall was quiet for several seconds. She looked at each boy and then sighed. Her concerned expression had disappeared.

"Professor Strinkley is a respected professor at this school. He has been interviewed and vetted through an extremely rigorous process. He has also been teaching at this school for five years without issue. If you have a problem with Professor Strinkley, you need to speak with him about it. Otherwise you need to respect Professor Strinkley and treat him with the deference he deserves.

"Now hurry along or you'll be late for your next class." She then levelled them with a look that made it clear that the conversation had ended. The boys bowed their heads and then shuffled off to their next class, Potions. James, though momentarily deterred, would not give up until Professor Strinkley was replaced. He'd just have to find another way of doing so.

* * *

On Fridays, of which that day was, the first year Gryffindors last class was Potions. Next to Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions was James' least favourite class. It was his worst class, though he wasn't completely terrible at it. He could, if he took his time, follow the instructions and produce an acceptable potion. However, he could not do it quickly like other magical disciplines and his results were never at the same level in potions.

Also, Potions meant Slytherins and having to watch Snivellus one-up everyone with his unnatural ability to quickly produce absolutely perfect potions. Every time it happened, anger bubbled up in James' chest. He wanted to snap the other boy's wand in half or hex him into oblivion. He couldn't stand to be bested by the lowly, slimy Slytherin.

"My, my, Mr. Snape," Professor Slughorn spoke as he circled throughout the classroom observing each student's attempt at the Forgetfulness Potion antidote. James had been carefully, meticulously following each step laid out in his textbook. He would not miss one or make a mistake. He had felt he'd been doing a pretty stellar job, even earning an approving smile from Slughorn.

Then the potions professor arrived at Severus' table, and any sense of accomplishment that James had been feeling came crashing down.

"Absolutely perfect! You even got it to the exact right shade of grey. Ten points to Slytherin!" Snivellus was finished his potion, an excellent one at that, and James was only on step ten of eighteen. In anger, he turned to Sirius beside him.

"Snivellus' head is getting too large for his own good. We need to do something about it," James whispered. Sirius looked up from his potion and smiled at James.

"I've got just the thing."

On that particular Friday, the first years finally got their first flying lesson. This, of all the subjects and events, had been what had kept James going through terrible DADA classes and miserable Potions lessons. As the first years made their way down to the Quidditch field, James had a pronounced skip in his step.

It also didn't hurt that Sirius had developed the most ingenious way to get back at Snivellus for upstaging both James and Sirius in Potions. This afternoon would be, in James' estimation, the best since he'd gotten to Hogwarts and been sorted into Gryffindor.

James shot an eye in Severus' direction as the group picked their way across the grounds. The Slytherin stood apart from his housemates; the gap wasn't large, but still noticeable, and James made a note of it. Even amongst his peers he was an outcast. That was definitely an exploitable fact.

Walking a few steps behind Snivellus and the Slytherins was Sirius. He had broken apart from the Gryffindors by honing in on a particular Slytherin girl, Moira Scott, who Sirius had met at Diagon Alley that summer. Sirius had explained that they had talked about Quidditch at their meeting, so talking to her at that moment, when they were about to partake in their first flying lesson would make sense. And it would provide him with the perfect cover to get close to Snape without raising suspicions. Sirius was, as discretely as possible setting up their revenge. James smiled at his friends and nodded slightly, encouraging Sirius along in his work.

Finally, the first years arrived at the Quidditch stadium. Rows of brooms met them, set out ready for their first lessons. The brooms were all in different states, some pristine and brand new, others well warn and poorly cared for. First years brought their own brooms, but if they were unable, a school broom was provided for them. The school brooms were of the poorest quality and clearly denoted whose parents could not afford brooms.

James' broom was sleek and brand new, the fastest one on the market. He proudly walked up to the elegant broom as other students stared jealously. Both Remus and Peter had school-provided brooms, though by James' estimation they were two of the higher quality. Lily, with her muggle background, had a very basic broom; James made a mental note to educate the redhead about the different makes, models, and types of brooms.

Sirius, James noticed, was carefully picking his way towards a splintering, dirty, ragged school broom. He had his wand in his hands and kept his head on a swivel, watching the other first years mill about in search of their brooms.

"Mr. Black," a voice echoed through the crowd, "that is not your broom! Please pay attention!" Standing off to the side of the Quidditch field, looking quite full of himself was Karl Broadmoor, a retired professional Quidditch player recently hired to teach, coach, and referee at the school.

Sirius gave Broadmoor a sheepish look of apology and slunk back towards his expensive looking broom. Once he was standing over his own broom, he shot James a smug look. 'Success!'

"Good afternoon, first years. Welcome to your first flying lesson. Now, I'm sure many of you have been on a broom before, but many of you haven't. So, like many of your classes thus far, I will begin today by evaluating where you are. So, to begin, simply step up to your broom, place your hand above it, and clearly say the command 'Up!'" Broadmoor spoke to the class once they'd settled down a little. Everyone followed his instructions, some like James with more confidence than others.

"Up!" James commanded and his broom readily arrived in his hand. Sirius' broom acted in kind. The pair then quickly turned to look at Severus. He was repeating the word 'up' over and over again, yet his broom refused to budge. Other students could get their brooms to at least twitch or hop up off the ground, but Snape's didn't move at all. James and Sirius began snickering.

After twenty minutes, all the first years managed to get their brooms off the ground. Snivellus was the last one to accomplish it and it took a fair amount of coaching from Broadmoor. Next, the students were instructed to mount their brooms and gently push off from the ground to hover only a few inches. It was the same way James' father had first taught him to fly.

Most of the students once again readily followed the instructions and quickly mounted their brooms. James and Sirius moved much slower than the rest of the students; their focus was much more squarely on Snape and his actions. He timidly mounted his broom, obviously not comfortable or competent on it. As soon as his foot hit the ground and he closed his legs around the broom, it took off across the stadium.

The broom was not high off the ground; in fact, Snape was dragging his feet along the grass, trying to stop himself. When the broom reached the end of the playing field. It took off over the seats and up into the open air. The entire time, Severus was screaming at the top of his lungs. Broadmoor quickly mounted his own broom and took off after the slimy, screaming Slytherin.

"Everyone stay put or it'll be detention for a month!" Broadmoor called from the air. As soon as their instructor was out of earshot, Sirius and James fell upon each other in peels of laughter.

"Did you see his face?" James managed to get out.

"Probably wet himself!" Sirius responded before the mirth overcame him. Peter quickly joined in with the laughter, though this wasn't as all consuming as the other two.

"Really can't trust those school-provided brooms. They're a bit touchy! Best to get your own, though his parents would have to sell the tiny shack they probably call home to even afford the most basic of brooms!" James ribbed.

"What did you do?!" a loud, obviously concerned voice yelled. James, bent over as a result of his laughing fit, looked up to see an irate Lily. For a split second he felt bad for what he'd done. Not because he regretted humiliating and scaring Snape, but because of the look Lily was currently giving him. Her green eyes seemed to fill with flames and her brow furrowed so much that the space between them disappeared. Her hands were clenched at her side and James was momentarily worried that she'd hit him with them.

"We were only enacting karma, Lily," Sirius responded, clutching his sides and smiling widely.

"Well, it was cruel and unnecessary, and I will be informing Professor Broadmoor about it! You can't treat people like that!" Lily then turned on her heel and stormed off. James wanted to go after her, but stopped himself. Snivellus had just gone shooting passed James' sightline and the messy haired boy was reminded of the hilarity of the situation and dissolved back into immense, side-splitting laughter.

Served Snivellus right!


	11. Chapter 10: Secrets and Snakes

_A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows public opinion_

 _~Chinese Proverb_

* * *

 **Chapter Ten**

 **Secrets and Snakes**

* * *

Remus would never admit it out loud, but hexing Snape's broom so he could not control it was quite hilarious. He wasn't sure that the longhaired boy deserved the treatment. He wasn't rubbing his superior ability in anyone's face, unlike James and Sirius who flouted their abilities by not actually doing the work. However, Remus still found himself suppressing a smirk as Snape flew passed their small group.

He wasn't sure when it had happened exactly, when he'd started included himself in the group of James, Sirius, and Peter. It had just sort of happened. James had been relentless in those first few days and Remus had enjoyed having someone to sit with during classes and at meal times. He'd become so used to being alone or with his parents that he forgot what it was like to be with others his own age.

That being said, he wasn't sure he considered the other three Gryffindor's friends. Friends only brought him temporary joy and then immense heartache. He would spend time with the other Gryffindor first years, especially since James wasn't giving him much choice. But he wouldn't get close to them, wouldn't open up about his life or himself. There were some things that were better kept secret, for all involved.

However, Remus wasn't given long to bask in the enjoyment of Snape's torment. Before he knew it, it was that time again. W-Day as he affectionately referred to it.

He could always tell when it was getting close to that time. He began to feel sick, quezzy, like he was going to throw up. He felt like his energy was draining out of him, and he could barely pull himself out of bed. His muscles felt like jelly and his joints ached; it hurt to move even the smallest amount. In general, he felt like he didn't belong in his skin, in his body.

Normally, back home, when he started feeling it, he would lay in bed all day, reading or listening to the wireless. Now, at school, that wasn't an option. He had classes to attend and roommates to worry about. They would most certainly ask questions; at the very least tell him to visit the hospital wing. That definitely wouldn't be good.

So, he had to suck it up and act like nothing was wrong. He had to act like he didn't feel like a foreign invader in his own body. He had to go on like normal; he had to wake up and go to classes. He had to walk through hallways crammed with people and pretend that each step didn't cause him intense agony.

He'd only just gotten through his first W-Day at Hogwarts. Luckily, or unluckily depending on how you looked at it, it happened only a few days into the year, only a few days into September. He hadn't become as close to the others in his dorm as he was a month on. He had been able to keep his distance, avoid any questions by his friends. This month, it wouldn't be quite as easy to hide it all.

On the morning of W-Day, Remus felt like absolute crap. His head was pounding, his skin felt like it would start sloughing off at any moment, and an immense sense of dread and terror had gripped him and begun strangling his heart and lungs. Each breath he took came harder and harder.

* * *

 _Remus Lupin,_

 _On the night in question, please meet me after curfew in the Great Hall. Should you have any trouble with prefects, please provide them with the enclosed note._

 _Dumbledore._

That was the note Remus had received on his first day, along with his class schedule. He'd done as the note asked, excusing himself from his friends by claiming that he was going to the Hospital Wing. His sickly appearance had become far too obvious for him to hide it; James had been throwing him questionable looks all day. So he said he was going to look for a remedy for the stomach ache he was feeling and left the other three Gryffindor first years as they made their way from dinner that day.

He'd hid himself in the library for a few hours, reading up on the history of various magical creatures for an essay Professor Binns had assigned. Then, just as the library closing, he carefully made his way down to the Great Hall. The rest of the evening becomes a little foggy after that. Remus never remembered much about the later evening on W-Day.

That evening, he planned to do the same and hopefully avoid questions from James, Sirius, and Peter.

* * *

Remus went about his day as normally as he could. However, his symptoms seemed to be worse than normal and they were making it difficult to be normal. He felt like a zombie, only going through the motions of the day without putting in any real effort. He knew his classwork was suffering, knew his magic was nowhere near its normal level. Luckily, the teachers didn't seem to notice all that much.

At dinner, Remus only picked as his food, not really feeling much like eating. His stomach felt uneasy and he was sure any food that entered it would not stay put. On top of that, his cravings were not for anything currently found on the table.

"Are you okay?" James asked after watching Remus pick at his food for about twenty minutes.

"Fine," Remus responded, smiling as best he could at James, "just not feeling all that well at the moment. Thinking about heading to bed actually, maybe sleep it off or something. Hopefully, I'll feel better in the morning." Remus then stood from the table and headed back to Gryffindor's dorm rooms. He no longer had the strength to put up a front of being fine and felt it was close enough to the end of the day to not create too much concern.

"Is this like last month?" James called as Remus left the dinning hall. He ignored James' question, hoping that his intelligent mind wouldn't begin putting things together. Maybe Remus should come up with some excuse? Some cyclical illness that explained his behaviour? Maybe Dumbledore would have some suggestions. But if, worse came to worse and James got to close to figuring things out, Remus would just have to cut them out of his life and hope that ended things where they stood.

Remus quickly made it up to the dorms and collapsed onto his bed. He wouldn't get much sleep that night, so he would try to get as much as he could when he could. He set his watch with an alarm that timed to wake him up to meet Dumbledore. Then he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Before Remus knew it, his alarm was going off. The dorm room around him was dark and quiet. The three other beds were occupied by sleeping figures so Remus moved as soundlessly as he could. Waking one of them up at this moment would only lead to awkward questions that Remus couldn't and wouldn't answer.

Luckily, he got out of the room without making any disturbances and waking the others up. He then quietly crept down into the common room and hoped that it would either be empty or any occupants would be otherwise distracted. Sneaking out this late, even with Professor Dumbledore's pardon letter tucked into a pocket of his robes, could land in trouble or raise suspicions.

It took Remus 20 minutes of quiet sneaking, taking slow and careful steps and creeping around corners to avoid running into anything or anyone. When he finally made it down to the Great Hall he hadn't encountered anyone, even in the Gryffindor common room. A small sense of victory crept over him at hiding his secret so well in such a populated place.

He quickly spotted Dumbledore standing in the open doorway, looking out at a sky filled with stars. He looked quite regal and powerful in that moment, like a king or ruler observing his lands. Remus almost didn't want to disrupt the serene image, but he felt the moment coming faster and faster.

"Professor Dumbledore?" he called out, trying to project his voice but still keep it quiet. The older wizard turned at the call and smiled warmly, yet slightly sadly down at the boy.

"Are you ready?" he asked kindly.

"Ready as I can be," Remus responded, trying to force a joking smile onto his face. He was trying to keep the moment light, but his own feelings were making that difficult.

"Well, then, let's be off." Dumbledore then began walking out of the castle and out into the grounds.

* * *

W-Day came and passed for Remus. Like most, he didn't remember the events of the night. He just woke up in a strange building with sore muscles, his skin feeling abnormally tight. He slowly made his way out of the building and back into his dorm room. It was still early enough in the morning that none of the students were awake yet.

All Remus wanted to do was sleep the rest of the day away, but unfortunately he had classes that day. Still, his tired body collapsed onto the soft mattress and warm sheets of his four poster bed. Tired eyes closed almost instantly and Remus was quickly fast asleep. But, much to his chagrin, he was woken up after what only felt like minutes.

James and Sirius were loudly getting ready for the day, dressing and brushing their teeth and hair. As they did so, they were excitedly discussing their plans.

James spoke with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, "What will we do today? Make his books fly out of his hands again?"

"No!" Sirius responded in the middle of pulling on socks and putting on shoes, "we need to do something different. Keep Snivellus on his toes!"

Remus lay in bed, listening to the two boys discussion, with the odd interjection by Peter with a 'good idea!' or 'the sounds great!' He found himself captivated by the normalcy of it all. He had spent the evening in the deepest agony, only to wake up and find his dorm mates eagerly discussing their plans to antagonize Severus Snape. The world really was strange.

* * *

"Did you see the look on his face? Almost looked like he was going to start crying or something!" James exclaimed, his voice filled with mirth. Peter eagerly nodded, looking up at James with pure admiration. What James and Sirius had just accomplished, Peter would never have been able to even conceive of, let alone attempt. They were true geniuses and Peter felt extremely lucky that they even deigned to be in his presence.

"I'd say this was the best one yet. Definitely got the best results!" Sirius chimed in. The four Gryffindor first years were gathered around a table in the library. They were supposed to be working on a paper for Charms, but James and Sirius had quickly gotten distracted.

"Awesome!" Peter squeaked out. He shot a look across the library towards an empty table. Only moments before, Snape had been seated at that table. His presence had distracted James and Sirius, and they quickly decided to play a prank on the solitary Slytherin.

They'd first discussed amongst themselves the focus that Snape had towards his work, mostly said he might set his work on fire because of it. That had acted as their spark of inspiration and a plan quickly followed. As inconspicuously as possible, James pulled out his wand and aimed it at Snape and his table. He then cast a spell that set his work on fire.

Immediately, it brought the librarian upon the boy who had been startled by the sudden appearance of flames at his table. The librarian put out the flames, then yelled at Snape for practicing such dangerous magic in the library. Snape was kicked out and left with his head hung low, his lip quivering.

James and Sirius dissolved into uncontrollable laughter at the plight of Snivellus. It had been two weeks since their first prank against Snape and, in that time, James and Sirius had continued to antagonize him. They'd sent his books flying through the halls. They'd jinxed his hair to drip grease. In Potions, James had switched Snape's crushed leeches for lacewing causing his potion to emit a dark, pungent smoke. Peter hadn't been an active participant in any of the pranks, but he had readily praised and applauded his friends each and every time.

"Maybe next time you'd like to try something. Peter, or maybe even you, Remus?" James spoke, trying to goad his friends into playing a larger roll in their pranks. Peter paled. His magic was mediocre at best and he wasn't very adept at devising plans. Taking a greater roll in pranking Snape would only highlight his shortcomings. Maybe James and Sirius would stop spending time with him if they knew the full extent of his mediocrity.

"I think I'll pass. It all seems a little –cruel. What did he ever do to you?" Remus responded. Peter turned to look at the fourth member of their gang. The skinny, sandy haired boy always seemed to be on the periphery, not really a fully committed member. Not like Peter. Remus appeared to enjoy the company of the other three, but he wasn't willing to partake in some things the rest of the group did.

Peter wanted to be a member, wanted to belong. He would go along with whatever James and Sirius did.

"What did you have in mind for our next prank?" Peter asked, trying to quash his trepidation.

* * *

Peter sat at the Gryffindor table with the others. It was early morning and the rest of the Great Hall was eagerly consuming breakfast. Far too nervous about what was about to happen, Peter could only stare at the warm, good smelling food. His heart was racing, his palms were extensively sweaty, and his hands and legs were trembling. A warm pressure on his leg, a hand, momentarily calmed him.

"Relax, Pete," James whispered in his ear. "It's a simple tripping jinx. Not difficult magic at all. And you've already nailed it in practice." James nodded in the direction of Sirius. They boy was sitting across from them, shovelling food eagerly into his mouth. His right eye was a dark shade of purple, a result of tripping into the corner of his bed during a practice session. Peter had felt terrible and then terrified. What if Sirius got angry with him and came at him, or worse stopped being friends with him? But Peter's fears were for naught as Sirius had instantly burst into laughter.

"Ready, Pete?" James asked, removing his hand from Peter's leg and turning to the entrance of the Great Hall. Snape had just entered. It was now Peter's time to shine.

He pulled out his wand and pointed it in Snape's directions. Peter then waited for his target to draw closer. He tried to conceal his wand, to not draw suspicion to himself. James and Sirius were experts at it, but Peter was nowhere near their skill level in concealing their wands and their illicit spell work.

Finally, when Snape was close enough, Peter cast his jinx. Snape's legs became jelly, causing him to topple forwards. His face landed in a large vat of scrambled eggs. When he righted himself, he had eggs sticking to his face and in his hair. The students around him began to chuckle and laugh at the Slytherin's predicament.

Peter, Sirius, and James quickly joined in, knowing that it wouldn't draw any unwanted attention to them after others had laughed first.

"Ehhem, Mr. Pettigrew," a stern voice spoke over his left shoulder. Peter turned, his wand still clutched in his hand. Standing behind him, looking at him in such a way that let him knew he was caught, was Professor McGonagall. "A word, if you would."

* * *

Detention for Peter involved writing lines in Professor McGonagall's office. He repeated the rule about not practicing spells in hallways or crowded areas, writing it over and over. However, the detention was not the punishment Peter was worried about. His father would be absolutely upset at him for getting into trouble like this. The elder Pettigrew had a fairly important job in the Minster for Magic's office and hearing that his son had tripped another student at breakfast could put a blemish on his father's career aspirations. If Peter's actions cost his father a chance for advancement, it would not bode well for the small boy.

Finally, after an hour of detention, and nearly two feet in lines, Professor McGonagall dismissed Peter. He slunk out of her office, his head held low. He was so ashamed about the whole thing, about getting caught, about being talked into it, about getting a detention and his parents hearing about it. None of it was good.

"For he's a jolly good felon! For he's a jolly good felon! For he's a jolly good felon, which nobody can deny." As soon as Peter walked into the hallway, James and Sirius belted out the song. Extremely off key. Peter flushed red at the attention.

James and Sirius quickly embraced Peter in a friendly hug and began patting him on the back. They showered Peter with praise and adoration as they dragged him of down the hallway. Peter only continued to flush.

By the time the trio had arrived back at Gryffindor common room, Peter no longer felt ashamed. Getting caught was no longer a bad thing. In fact, James and Sirius seemed almost proud of the fact that Peter had gotten in trouble. Both of them had already received detentions for their pranking; they seemed to see it as some sort of right of passage.

Peter was momentarily put off again by the angry arrival of a young red haired girl. She'd marched over to the foursome (Remus had been sitting at a table in the common room when James, Sirius, and Peter had arrived). Her facial muscles were taut and her brow was pinched together in a truly terrifying expression.

"Really now Peter!" Lily exclaimed as she drew close enough to be heard. She spoke just above a whisper, a result of her clenched teeth. "I'd come to expect this asinine behaviour from James and Sirius, but I thought you were better than this! Severus has never done anything to you, expect maybe best the 'great' James in Potions. Leave him alone!"

Peter felt his face flush at the admonishment. It was even worse given that Lily's friend Marlene McKinnon was standing only a few feet away from the irate rosette and had heard her dressing him down. Peter found Marlene extremely pretty and having her see him verbally attacked by a friend of hers was not good for his image.

"Oh, it's all in good fun. I'm sure Snivellus is busy working up a way to get back at us as we speak, Lily. Trust me, he's not as innocent as you think he is," James responded confidently. "Besides, that was some really stellar magic that Peter conducted and he should be proud of what he was able to accomplish!" James clapped the other boy on the back and Peter began to feel a little better about the whole situation.

Lily huffed in annoyance and then turned on her heel and stormed up to the girls' dormitory. Marlene levelled Peter, and James, Sirius, and Remus as well he suspected, with a withering glance before following as well.

Despite the look from Marlene, Peter spent the rest of the evening on a high at having James defend him and praise him. That night, Peter fell asleep with a smile on his face, proud of the day's happenings. He was now even more a part of the group with James and Sirius.


	12. Chapter 11: The Crowning of Kings

_One can survive anything nowadays, except death, and live down anything, except a good reputation_

 _~Oscar Wilde_

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven**

 **The Crowning of Kings**

* * *

"We meet again, Mr. Potter. Mr. Back. This is becoming quite the routine. One we definitely need to stop recreating." Professor McGonagall spoke, disappointment seeping through her every word. It was now late October. James and Sirius had only been at Hogwarts for two months. Yet, in that time, the pair of them had accumulated a combined dozen detentions. Most of them were for pranks on Severus Snape, though the pair had begun to branch out in their malicious spell casting. They'd also been punished for goofing off in class and in the library.

On that particular occasion, James had gotten bored of studying in the library. No matter how much he tried, goblin rebellions were just not interesting enough to captivate him for long enough to compose a foot of parchment on them. So, to help reinvigorate him and keep himself going for the next few hours, he'd decided to make the nearby pile of books begin to fly throughout the library. They'd just begun learning about the levitation charm and James wanted to see how far he could push his skill. Sirius quickly joined in and before long they were having textbook races throughout the stacks in the library. Needless to say, Mister Herbert, the librarian, was none to pleased with them and had instantly contacted Professor McGonagall to come and deal with the pair of them.

"Sorry, Professor McGonagall," James spoke, his tone sorrowful and apologetic. He did feel bad about inconveniencing her. As head of Gryffindor house she was responsible for their punishment and was forced to enact it every time the pair was in trouble.

"That remains to be seen," she responded, clearly not believing James' apology. "Perhaps tonight's detention will act as a hindrance the next time you two choose to perform unsanctioned magic. Follow me." James hung his head low, ashamed by the admonishment from the professor. He and Sirius slowly followed her out of the Transfiguration office and classroom. The trio wound through hallways before finally coming to stop in front of a small wooden door.

"This, gentlemen, is the storage room for all brooms in the school. It contains all school-owned brooms, as well as several belonging to students. Your task tonight is to clean all of them, as well as mend any school brooms that you find in disrepair. To make this more memorable, you will complete it all by hand. Without magic.

"Your wand, Mr. Potter. And yours, Mr. Black." Professor McGonagall held out her hand, and the boys reluctantly obliged. She then turned and left the broom closet, informing the boys they could retrieve their wands once they'd completed their task.

James turned to look at what exactly they'd need to be doing. McGonagall had, thankfully, not expected the boys to do the task actually by hand and had provided them with a fairly rudimentary broom repair kit, a bucket with soapy water, and sponges and scrub brushes for them to do their cleaning. That being said, there had to be at least 150 brooms in the closet. It was not going to be an easy task, whether done entirely by hand or not.

"This is going to take all night!" Sirius exclaimed, a look of sorrow crossing his regal features as he looked into the rather large broom cupboard.

"Well, at least we'll get to stay out passed curfew and not get in trouble for it," James responded, trying to sound as cheerful as possible in spite of their situation. He then pushed up the sleeves of his robe and dug into the nearest bucket, ready to start what was most definitely their worst detention yet.

* * *

"Halloween is a week away," Sirius suddenly spoke one day as the foursome lounged in the Gryffindor common room. It was a week since James and Sirius had spent four hours in the school broom closet, and they'd been maintaining a relatively low profile. James had felt bad about what they'd been doing to Professor McGonagall and had turned down a lot of Sirius' propositions. Plus, he was still facing broom-cleaning flashbacks and really didn't want to see what Professor McGonagall would come up with next to top their last detention. James had told Sirius that they should stop for the time being, at least until they could look at a broom and not feel absolute revulsion at it.

"I've heard Hogwarts throws quite the celebration. They decorate the Great Hall and have this amazing feast," Remus spoke, responding to the comment without looking up from the paper he was writing. He was the only one of the four who was engaged in productive schoolwork.

"Yes, that. But also, I've read that on Halloween, muggles will often perform acts of mischief and trickery. I thought, since it'd been a while since we did anything, we could graduate to a big event on Halloween. Perpetuate the muggle tradition?" Sirius looked right at James as he spoke, obviously looking for his approval. James and Sirius were a team; they pranked together. If James turned him down, then Sirius' plan would fizzle out.

James was quiet for several seconds, focused on his attempts to transfigure a couch cushion into a teddy bear. It was a spell he'd discovered in the back of his textbook, and was difficult because of the size of the object. James was determined to master it before Christmas break.

He was also mulling over Sirius' words. He had seen the muggle children of the nearby village wandering around on the night of Halloween before. They'd all been dressed up. Some as strange beasts like a green figure with bolts in his neck. Some as more recognizable, if slightly distorted beasts, like vampires and werewolves. Some as strange figures with capes and masks. And even some as witches, though James had never seen a green skinned, wart covered witch. Then, as the evening got later, older boys and girls would emerge from their homes and commit acts of vandalism and the like. The old church in town had been covered in toilet paper on more than one occasion after Halloween.

As James' reminisced about some of his observations of the mischief that the teenagers of Godric's Hallow got up to a smile crossed his face.

"What did you have in mind?" James finally asked. The itch that compelled him to perform acts of mischief was getting harder and harder to resist. Plus, the possibility of performing something large, of having his name known throughout the school, was extremely enticing.

"Well, first, we need to find out where the kitchens are located."

* * *

In the week leading up to Halloween, James, Sirius, Peter, and even Remus began scouring the castle. In fact, it had been Remus who had divided it into quadrants and assigned each person to one to look for anything that could possibly point to the kitchens. Then each night, the boys would meet up and debrief. The skinny boy had insisted it would be more productive for them to search on their own. Plus, it would attract less suspicion than if they went as a group because, on their own, it would be easier to pass of their reconnaissance as simply being lost in the large and unfamiliar castle. James had instantly seen the brilliance in this plan and praised Remus accordingly. The other boy had momentarily flushed red, but then got right back to explain the quadrants to the others.

The first two nights all four had nothing to report. They'd searched a significant portion of the castle and came up empty. James was starting to feel a little frustrated and disheartened. Hogwarts castle was expansive. It easily housed the several hundred students that passed through each year, as well as the staff and countless elves that maintained the castle. On top of that, James suspected that there were several hidden passageways and entryways, and that there may even be some magically concealed rooms. It could take a lifetime to search out every inch and nook and cranny.

Then finally, on the third day and with only four to go until the Halloween feast, things seemed to turn around for them. When they met up that night, each of the four of them had large wide smiles on their faces and a sense of triumph emanating from them.

"I think I've been quite productive today," James began the meeting. He was lounging in one of the armchairs of the common room. "I managed to follow a house elf how was carrying some dirty dishes through several hallways. Unfortunately, I lost him when I was stopped by a Ravenclaw prefect asking what I was doing heading up to Ravenclaw tower. What about every one else?" James just shrugged off his failure and turned to look at his friends expectantly. Surely, their exuberance could only mean good things.

"So the kitchens may be near Ravenclaw?" Sirius asked from his similar position on an armchair opposite James'.

"They could be, or the elf was just cleaning up Ravenclaw tower. We'll just need to keep looking." Despite the lack of real progress that James had made, he remained optimistic. There had yet to be a problem that he couldn't resolve; he had not thus far in his life come to an insurmountable obstacle. If they just kept up their work, they would eventually find what they were looking for.

Sirius nodded at James words before sharing his piece of news, "I found two secret passageways in the west towers of the castle. One of them leads to the library and the other could easily shave off two minutes between Transfiguration and Charms. This castle has so many secrets! I know it's not helpful on the hunt for the kitchen front, but I still think it's useful information." As Sirius spoke, Remus wrote on a piece of parchment.

"Definitely helpful. Anything that can help us shave off transition time and give us more time for pranking is information we can use!" James returned.

"I found something like that," Peter piped in. Before Sirius had spoken, Peter had looked anxious, excited but also concerned. After Sirius had spoke, Peter lost off traces of concern. Now, he just looked excited. "On the third floor, behind one of the statues, is a passageway that leads outside the castle. I still don't have anything on the kitchen-"

"I do!" Remus suddenly exclaimed, cutting Peter off. It was the most animated James had seen him. He was nearly jumping out of his skin waiting for his change to speak.

"Go on," James prodded after Remus was quiet for several seconds. After his outburst, Remus had returned to the piece of parchment and jotted down a few notes. When James spoke, Remus sheepishly looked back up.

"Sorry. Right. Well, I started by coming up with a list of possible locations that the kitchen could be. It, logically, should be near the Great Hall, and most likely under it since that is where the food appears from. So, that house elf you saw was probably just cleaning up Ravenclaw tower." Remus looked at James self-consciously, obviously not completely comfortable with having to let the messy haired boy down. James, for his part, was outwardly unaffected. His pride was a little hurt that Remus seemed to believe him wrong, but he pushed that aside. If Remus had actually found the kitchens, then James could handle his bruised pride.

"Today, " Remus continued after it was clear James wasn't upset, "While I was searching around the dungeons, I saw a few house elves scurrying around and followed them, hoping they would lead me where I wanted to go. I was in luck and they headed back to the kitchen, even showing me how to get through the hidden doorway! I wrote it all down here, along with what Sirius and Peter discussed.

"I thought it might come in handy later to know where these things were located." Remus added, nervously rubbing the back of his head. He seemed very uncertain about the whole thing. James burst out into a wide smile.

"Brilliant!" James exclaimed, reaching out for the paper to examine it further. "This will definitely come in handy later. Now, about how to get into the kitchen."

* * *

The Hogwarts Halloween feast was absolutely spectacular. For the magical community, the muggle holiday of Halloween was a big deal. After the International Statute of Secrecy, the celebrations of All Hallows Eve allowed the magical community the opportunity to come out of hiding for the day. Now, with the changing theme of celebrations, the holiday didn't afford the same freedoms, but the magical community still put a lot into the celebrations.

The Great Hall was decorated with traditional fall decorations like leaves and various squashes. There were jack o' lanterns throughout the room, each one carved with a unique face. On each of the tables was one of the largest feasts James had ever seen. It was almost as large as the going away extravaganza his mother had cooked before he left for Hogwarts. It smelled delicious, looked amazing, and James couldn't wait to dig in.

"Good evening," Dumbledore spoke from the middle of the staff table, "Today, we celebrate the ancient holiday of Halloween, a significant holiday for the magical community. Enjoy the good food and company tonight. Forget about your schoolwork and other worries for the evening and just enjoy! Bon appetite!"

With his short speech over, Dumbledore sat down and motioned for all those gathered to start feasting. James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus readily obliged, as did the rest of the student body. The Great Hall quickly filled with the sounds of forks and knives contacting plates and the light hum of conversation.

"This roast is almost as good as my Mums! She'd always cook roast on the days we were celebrating something. Birthdays, anniversaries, holidays that weren't Christmas. On the morning before I caught the train here she made me this big going away breakfast feast and she even cooked a roast for that!" James eagerly discussed life at home in between bites of roast, potatoes, and various steamed vegetables.

"My mum would rather talk to a muggle than cook for us. Any and all food that is made and prepared in our house is done by the house elf. The food here is so much better than what I'd get back there." Sirius shuddered at the memory of his elf-prepared food from back home.

"But this food is prepared by elves?" Peter asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. He was obviously unsure if that piece of information was something he should know, and if knowing it could get him in trouble.

"Yes, but this food is made by happy elves that enjoy their work and know what they're doing. Not the freakishly loyal, obsessed creatures my mother keeps." Sirius punctuated his speech by popping a piece of potato into his mouth.

"My mum's a really good cook too. Except not with anything this fancy. I do love her cooking, but it's really nice to try some of these finer dishes. Most of what we eat at home is simple soups made with vegetables from the garden or the basic meat and potatoes sort of fair." Remus spoke. James was a little surprised at the openness of Remus' comments.

Over the past two months, the skinny boy had begun to spend more and more time with the other Gryffindor first years, and he'd eagerly contributed to the planning and execution of that evenings' prank. But he still kept his home life, his private life, fairly secret from the others. James was constantly going on about life with his parents, and Sirius would join in with his complaints. Peter would occasionally comment about his family, but Remus never said a word. To have him opening up now was a good sign for James.

"Sometimes the simplest food can taste the best," Sirius commented, "Kreacher, our house elf, attempts these really fancy, really convoluted recipes to try and impress my mother and he always fails. What I wouldn't give for a simple vegetable soup instead of a rancid duck d'orange!" Sirius popped another potato into his mouth. As he did so, the serving platters of food disappeared and were replaced by platters filled with desserts. A glint quickly developed in Sirius' eye.

Once again, people quickly began digging into their desserts. There was a large selection but the most prevalent, and the most popular, were the pumpkin pasties. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall dug into them eagerly.

Suddenly, a concerned yelp went up from someone in the Hufflepuff table. Students turned to see what was going on. One of the upperclassmen had gone a truly awful puce colour. His companion, the one who had shrieked, had quickly run around to the back of the now purple boy and began trying to dislodge whatever it was that was turning his friend purple. It was obvious that the one boy thought his friend was choking.

However, the purple Hufflepuff was not chocking and, when he tried to explain this to his worried friend, his words came out in gibberish.

"Flag flum flor flo!" the purple boy tried to explain. His friend, caught off guard, stopped his actions and simply started. Then, someone from Ravenclaw also shouted out.

"Percy! You're turning purple!"

Like a slow ripple, cried began to fill the crowd as more and more people turned purple. Then, much like the Hufflepuff, when they tried to speak, all that would come out was intelligible speech.

"We've been pranked!" a high-pitched voice echoed above the gibberish. Instantly, everyone began to panic, unsure of what had caused the colour change and loss of speech. Some of the people, those who had not been afflicted, began to chuckle then all out laugh at the predicament of their comrades.

As the gibberish began to be overtaken by peals of laughter, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter smirked at the chaos they'd induced. This was their biggest prank yet, the most complicated with the biggest payoff. Seeing it all come to fruition was highly satisfying.

However, their moment of triumph and victory was short lived. The professors quickly began taking control and searching out the perpetrators. Professor McGonagall in particular was honing in on the four male Gryffindor first years. Others followed her lead. James and Sirius were quickly establishing a reputation for pranking. Now that this one had occurred, the boys were their prime suspects.

When the professors showed up at the Gryffindor table, however, they found James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter all purple-coloured and speaking gibberish. Not perpetrators, but simply more victims. It was an ingenious way to cover their guilt. None of the professors, except Professor McGonagall, now believed that the four were responsible.

They'd gotten away with it, their first major prank. They were, in that moment, practically invincible. Now, all that remained for their crowning as prankster kings to be complete was for a rumour of their involvement to being to circulate throughout the student body. Once the students' knew who was responsible, and the staff unable to concretely prove it, they would be royalty.


	13. Chapter 12: Onto the Pitch Into the Air

_Sports do not build character. They reveal it._

 _~John Wooden_

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve**

 **Onto the Pitch; Into the Air**

* * *

Whispers followed them around wherever they went. In the hallways, in classes, at meals, even while they were working in the library. The last one, in particular, had quickly started to annoy Remus. He went to the library to do schoolwork and found that the whispering was far too distracting. Ever since the Halloween feast, it seemed that all the school could talk about was the prank and the fact that four first year Gryffindors had been the ones responsible.

James and Sirius were taking this newfound fame extremely well. They were walking throughout the castle with their heads held high. Their gait had even changed, becoming more arrogant and self-assured. All the talk about their exploits made the pair feel like kings. Peter, as well, was really enjoying the attention, though he didn't show it as outwardly as the others. His meek nature only seemed to allow him to internally revel in the attention.

Remus, however, was less than enthused. He had always hated people talking about him, mostly because what they were usually saying was harsh and negative. This time around, they were saying nice things, but it still wasn't sitting right with him. Any attention, Remus found, would inevitably turn bad. It was much easier and safer, and caused less pain, if no one knew him. Anonymity was always best.

In an effort to combat the near-constant whispering, Remus had taken to walking through halls quickly, and with his head down. He'd also begun distancing himself from James and Sirius, whose revelry in the attention made it that much worse. He still sat with them at lunches and during classes, but walked ahead of them in the halls and spent most evenings alone in the library.

He'd always known getting close to people would not be good for him; he'd just never expected it to manifest in quite this way. However, despite his efforts, Peter, Sirius, and especially James had wormed their way in. Avoiding them now brought reprieve from the rumours, but it also made Remus feel sad and alone. He'd gotten used to having friends to pass the time with.

Hopefully, Remus thought, the whispers would dissipate and he could return to his normal routine. Until then, Remus continued to race through the hallways with his head down.

"Hey, Remus, what's the rush?"

Remus had been hurrying through the halls when his shoulder had collided with something hard, most likely a person. He'd been about to continue on, when the person spoke. The voice was familiar, and the person addressed him by name. So instead of continuing down the hallway, he stopped and focused on the person.

"Sorry, Lily," Remus responded once he realised it was Lily he'd collided with. She didn't look mad. In fact, she looked concerned for his well-being. "Just trying to get to class on time." The look Lily gave him told him she didn't believe that was all. It looked like she was about to call him out on that, when something behind him caught her eye and her expression instantly soured. Remus, curious, turned to see what had so affected the redhead.

James and Sirius had cornered Severus Snape, taken one of his textbooks, and were playing keep away with it. As a friend of Snape's it was obvious the girl didn't appreciate her friend being treated so poorly.

"How can they think treating someone like that is okay? That it is fun?" she looked at Remus like she expected him to answer. Remus didn't have an answer. He didn't know why the pair picked on Snape. He didn't particularly enjoy that proclivity of his friends. There must have been something, maybe the fact that he was a Slytherin, which upset James and Sirius.

"You should try to talk to them Remus. Make them see sense in their actions, that they aren't funny or right. I'm sure they'll listen to you." Lily's voice sounded hopeful, like Remus really could stop James and Sirius. But, Remus thought, even if he could, it would require sticking his neck out. Remus was extremely opposed to that.

"I can try," Remus responded, unable to say no to Lily's expression.

* * *

"Them?" A sixth-year Ravenclaw girl at the table beside Remus whispered rather loudly, "but they're only first years!" About a week after the prank, Remus found himself once again alone in the library. He had picked the most isolated table, not close to anyone else. He was now, officially, distancing himself from his friends. He had some thinking to do.

"That's what Lucille told me. She overheard several guys talking about it. One of them saw the four of them sneak into the kitchen the day before!" her friend responded, equally as loud. Remus hadn't been planning on making friends, had gone most of his entire life up to that point without them. However, now that he had them, he was finding it hard not to be with them. He missed simply being around James and Sirius, listening to them scheme and plan their next prank. And yet, he also felt a pull away from them. James and Sirius seemed to crave the spotlight, while Remus preferred the comfort of the shadows.

"I don't believe it! That magic was far too complicated for first years!" the first Ravenclaw spoke again. He had a decision to make. Remain loyal to his friends, or strike off on his own. That was why he isolated himself in the library that day. For one, he needed to be alone with his thoughts. For another, he wanted to see what it would be like to be alone at Hogwarts. Remus had given himself the weekend of being completely alone before he made his decision. He had told James and Sirius that he needed the time to do some schoolwork, that he'd spent too much time on personal reading and helping with the Halloween prank that he'd fallen behind on his work. They'd fairly reluctantly agreed to leave him alone, especially after they'd agreed they were quite the distraction.

"Maybe they have some secret hidden talents or something. I'm just saying that that's what Luce told me!" However, even secluded in the library, he hadn't been able to really think about much. The whispers still seemed to reach him. He tried to cover his ears, to block it out and pretend like he wasn't hearing it. He seemed to be doing a good job at it. In fact, Remus jumped a little when someone cleared his or her throat right next to him. He quickly whipped his head in the direction of the sound. Standing over him, looking awkward and a little angry, was Snape.

"What were you and Lily talking about?" the dark haired boy asked, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. Remus, unsure about what Snape was referring to just stared up at the other boy. "In the hallway, a few days ago. You bumped into Lily. She looked sad and then said something to you. What was it?"

The added information helped jog Remus' memory, though he was still unsure why Snape was so upset. The interaction had been quick and completely innocent. Had somebody told Snape something? Something that was obviously a lie?

"She just asked me how I was doing. Then she saw James and Sirius-" Remus hesitated over what to say next, not wanting to rub Snape's nose in his misfortune. He decided to avoid the topic altogether, "and, uh, asked me some questions about, uh, about the two of them. About, you know, why we're friends and all that."

As Remus spoke, he got more and more awkward. Snape was staring right at him, like he was trying to boar a hole through the sandy haired boy. It was clear that, despite Remus' evasion, Snape knew exactly what wasn't being said. Eventually, the staring became too much and Remus had to look away. He heard a light ruffling and shuffling from Snape before he spoke again.

"Why are you friends with them?" Snape asked, his voice small and soft, yet radiating anger. Feeling extremely uncomfortable in the situation, and not even really able to answer that question for himself, Remus ignored Snape and began quickly packing up his stuff.

"They are nice people, when you get to know them. Well, it was nice talking to you but I really should be going," Remus said as fast as he could before scampering away from the table and out of the library.

* * *

By the time Monday rolled around Remus was still unsure of his place with his friends. The rumours had begun to subside a little, but his encounter with Snape was weighing on his mind. Despite taking the weekend, he still hadn't come to a decision. Remus had readjusted his timeline and given him a firm, unmoveable deadline of the end of the day. If he couldn't make a decision by then, he'd flip a Knut and go with what that.

Potions was the last class of the day, and the last real opportunity for Remus to solidify his decision. However, he still had absolutely no idea what he wanted. Both sides had pull, but neither one was pulling him strongly in a direction.

Hoping that taking his mind off his problems would be beneficial, Remus lost himself in that day's potion. He diligently followed the steps in his textbook, carefully putting in each ingredient in the exact right portion and order.

He was just about to put in the final ingredient when it suddenly began to bubble and boil. Remus and Sirius, who was beside him at the table, both leaned over the cauldron to see what was going on.

Bang!

Just as the pair looked into the cauldron it exploded in their faces. The commotion got the attention of Professor Slughorn. He quickly repaired the damage and removed the potion from Remus and Sirius. He then examined the cauldron and a puzzled look crossed his face.

"Let me see your book, Mr. Lupin," Slughorn said, making the move towards the textbook before Remus had the time to respond. "Ahh. I see. Looks like the second page of your warming potion was replaced with the steps for a cooling potion. Those two do not mix, hence the explosion. You should send in for a new book and make sure all the pages are correct."

Slughorn returned the book and left. Remus didn't think his mess was an accident or a printing mistake. The brief rustling that had occurred while he'd been talking to Snape but looking away from the greasy haired boy, had instantly jumped to the forefront of his mind while Professor Slughorn had spoken. A quick glance in Snape's direction, and the smug look on his face, confirmed it all for Remus.

"Do you think Snape is responsible?" James asked, reading Remus' thoughts from his expression.

"He came to talk to me in the library and when I looked away there was a rustling. He was angry because of what you'd done to him earlier in the hallway. He probably changed the page as some sort of pay back."

"That slimy little," James quickly turned to Sirius, "One of our own has been attacked, Sirius, what are we going to do about it?" The pair quickly began scheming about what they were going to do about Snape, but Remus had stopped listening. James had called him 'one of our own'. He'd claimed Remus like a family member and it sounded so natural. No one had ever accepted him so completely, so unquestioningly. Even the few friends he'd had when he was younger had kept their distance because they sensed something was up.

In that moment, all of Remus' worries and doubts about his friends vanished. James, Sirius, and Peter would remain his friends.

* * *

James and Sirius only increased their hostility towards Snape in the aftermath of the potions lesson. They seemed to feed on the negative energy that was growing in the lead up to the first Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. The tension and distaste that had previously existed between the two rival houses seemed to amplify, which in turn amplified James and Sirius' antagonism.

The month of November had dawned cool and crisp at Hogwarts. Frost hung in the air and the threat of snow was omnipresent. The castle was heated with magical flames, but as Remus and his friends quickly discovered, the fires were only in used sections of the castle. Little travelled hallways and hidden passageways were frigid. The weather put a damper on the boys' extracurricular explorations of the castle, but definitely not on their spirits

On the morning of the match, the first sunny day in a week, Remus woke earlier than normal. James and Sirius had been up for quite a few hours and were making quite a bit of noise. Both were dressed in as much red as seemed humanly possible. They had red hats, scarves, sweaters, gloves, and socks. Remus was sure if either of them owned red pants, they would be wearing them as well.

For his part, Remus was looking forward to the match. He'd never witnessed a Quidditch game before, of any kind. His parents hadn't been able to afford tickets to a professional match, and most of the neighbourhood kids didn't want to hang out with him and would never invite him to their pick up games.

He was also looking forward to the ending, or at the very least lessening, of inter-house tensions. Maybe it would slow James and Sirius down a little bit too.

"Alright, gents. It's time we head down to the pitch! Want to make sure we get really amazing seats!" James exclaimed. Remus stood, wrapped his red scarf around his neck and followed his fanatical friends.

* * *

A pudgy dark haired Hufflepuff named Donald Karlson announced Quidditch games at Hogwarts. He had a deep, animated voice perfect for calling matches. James suspected that he'd end up in radio one day; he had that type of voice. Karlson began the match by commenting on the weather conditions and the fact that this rivalry, the Gryffindor-Slytherin one, was deep-seated and long-standing. It was simple, colour commentary type stuff.

Finally, the two teams walked onto the pitch. The flying instructor Karl Broadmoor followed behind. He was wearing referee robes and carrying a Quidditch ball trunk. Everyone down on the pitch prepared for the start of the match and, after completing the traditional pre-game routines, Broadmoor released the Snitch and the Quaffle and the game began.

"Young third year chaser for Gryffindor, Vincent Price, has the Quaffle. He expertly weaves through Slytherin's defence. Wow, that bludger was close! Excellent broom work, Price. He passes to Longbottom –that's Frank Longbottom, Gryffindor prefect- who positions for the goal… and it's good! Ten points for Gryffindor!" Karlson announced, his voice rising and falling in excitement to help amplify the mood of the crowd.

Remus tried to follow the action, pinpointing the Quaffle as it was passed between players and shot into and over the goal posts. He wasn't doing a very good job; the players had a very quick pace on their brooms and with their passing. He had to rely almost solely on Karlson's word to follow the game. James, standing beside Remus and nearly leaning completely over the safety railing, seemed to be much more tuned in to the action.

"And another goal by Cornish! That makes the score 60 to 10 for Gryffindor!" Karlson exclaimed into the megaphone like contraption that projected his voice throughout the crowd. All those rooting for Gryffindor erupted into cheers and screams of joy. It was only about fifteen to twenty minutes into the game and already Gryffindor was up by 50 points. They were absolutely dominating Slytherin.

"Slytherin is just absolutely imploding! It's like they've never even flown before!" James screamed joyfully. Remus was sure that he meant that they were just playing terrible Quidditch, but when he looked back out onto the pitch, he realised the truth of the other boy's words.

It did look like a few of the members of the Slytherin team hadn't flown before. Their keeper, a huge hulking player, kept dropping feet below the goal posts he was meant to be guarding and then had to fight to regain and retain the altitude that he needed. Also, two of the three chasers seemed slightly confounded. They dropped the Quaffle a few times and flew slightly in the wrong direction. It was, on the whole, fairly subtle and Remus only noticed it because of James' comment. He'd never watched Quidditch before so he wasn't all that sure on the subtleties of the game.

"And Cadwallader scores for Slytherin! 20 to 60 is where the score stands now. The Quaffle is quickly back in play and in the hands of Slytherin's most senior player Bulstrode! Bulstrode passes to Cadwallader. Cadwallader dodges a bludger sent his way by O'Donnell. That was nearly on target! Cadwallader is being charged by Gryffindor chasers Longbottom and Cornish and quickly passes the Quaffle to Bletchley who shoots and… it's good! 30 to 60!" Karlson's commentary quickly drew Remus from his observations of the Slytherins and back into the game. Whatever James had seen in the Slytherin players was quickly gone and they seemed somehow rejuvenated.

Something about the whole thing seemed off, smelled fishy, and stuck in the back of Remus' mind, but he just wrote it off as his inexperience with the game.

* * *

For Remus' first Quidditch game, he had been treated a crazy, topsy-turvy game. Just when he thought he knew the outcome, something came around and changed his mind. It was a truly exhilarating game. The sandy haired boy had a wide smile plastered on his face for the entire time.

In total up to that point, Remus and the other Hogwarts students had witnessed sixty minutes of Quidditch. The first 20 to 25 minutes had been a game of near total Gryffindor domination. They scored six times in that period of time and Slytherin's players looked like they were asleep. Then something changed. Whatever had been going on with Slytherin in that first part of the game stopped and Slytherin turned their game on high.

Quickly, the score switched; Gryffindor gave up their lead and then some. After an hour of play the score was 150 for Slytherin, 70 for Gryffindor. The previously celebratory Gryffindors now sat in stunned silence and the Slytherins became loud and boisterous. They sang songs that mocked various Gryffindor players and verbally ribbed players and fans alike.

The turn around was so drastic that even Remus felt like there had to be something going on. Maybe the Slytherins who appeared confounded actually were, hindering their game. Then the spell had warn off and the true abilities of Slytherin shone through. But that seemed crazy to Remus. This game, in the grand scheme of that years Quidditch Cup, was minimally important. So there wasn't really an incentive to cheat in this game.

But still, something felt wrong about everything to Remus.

"Uh oh! It would appear as if Bulstrode's broom is malfunctioning! Mister Broadmoor had called a pause to the game play as this matter is sorted out," the announcer, Karlson spoke, his voice surprised, but not necessarily concerned. Bulstrode's broom was acting as if it was trying to throw him off. It would jerk violently right then violently left. It then dropped straight down for several hundred feet before quickly righting itself. Someone had obviously jinxed his broom.

"What's this? Now the Slytherin keeper, McNair can't seem to control his broom! And there goes Bletchley! Nice figure eight, though!" As Broadmoor had gone after Bulstrode and his malfunctioning broom, the other members of the Slytherin team lost control of their brooms one after another, like dominoes. The keeper's broom returned to the dropping action that it had been doing previously, but much more exaggerated. Bletchley, one of the Slytherin chasers, looked like he was performing some sort of aerial ballet, with flips, figure eights, and other intricate manoeuvres. Then Cadwallader's broom began flying at top speeds toward the stands and the spectators before quickly veering off at the last moment.

"That looks like the same spell you and Sirius put on Snape's broom during out first flying lesson," Remus whispered to James as they watched Cadwallader be dragged along by his broom. It seemed Remus wasn't the only one to make this observation; whispers quickly erupted in all sections of the stands from first years and then older students. People then began shooting James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter looks like they thought those four may have had something to do with it all. As well, whispers began to spread that maybe the Gryffindor team or Gryffindor students had jinxed the brooms. This second set of whispers combined with the first set and even more stares and glances were shot in the first years' direction.

Remus slunk down in his seat. He really hated whispers!

* * *

After twenty minutes, Broadmoor was able to get control of the brooms. Because the jinxes that had been placed on them were unknown, they couldn't be completely removed. Professor Strinkley had volunteered to take the brooms and carefully examine them, but the Slytherin team insisted on continuing the game and on their own brooms. So, Professor Strinkley performed a quick blanket anti-jinx on the brooms and the game continued.

It was absolutely devastating. Despite the occasional jinx-related glitch with the brooms, Slytherin dominated Gryffindor. The game lasted for another thirty minutes, and the final score was 400 to 100 with the Slytherin seeker, and team captain, Alectus Warrington, catching the snitch. As soon as his hand had closed around the small golden ball, the other Slytherin players were thrown from their brooms. Headmaster Professor Dumbledore acted quickly enough to slow down all the thrown players so that not one of them was injured.

As soon as the students gently landed on the pitch grass, Professor Strinkley seized their brooms to determine what, and possibly even who, had jinxed the brooms. Mister Broadmoor corralled the Gryffindor players, the obvious culprits. The jinxing had only really begun to occur after Gryffindor started to loose. Slowly, Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house, and Professor Slughorn, head of Slytherin house, made their way down to the pitch to oversee the situation. Then, all the students in the stands were dismissed.

As they all filed out, the only topic of conversation for every single student was what had happened and whom they thought was responsible.

"That was so crazy! Someone jinxing the _whole_ Slytherin Quidditch team? And then Cadwallader's broom behaving exactly like Snape's? Crazy! I wonder who would have done such a thing?" Peter mused and exclaimed, obviously excited about all of the events.

"Not sure, Pete. Sort of looks like us, so maybe we should talk later. In private. I mean, we didn't do anything here, but best to not discuss it so openly," Sirius responded. James, who had been unnaturally quiet, seemed to agree with Sirius' statement and the four didn't say another word as they made their way through the stands, and down towards the ground.

About halfway between the castle and the stands, Professor McGonagall stood off to the side, observing the stream of students. She looked at James, making direct eye contact with him. It was obvious to Remus that she wanted to talk to them and, apparently, James picked up on it too. The four slowly began making their way towards the professor.

"Professor?" James spoke, making his address a question about what she wanted.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Sirius. A word, please. Alone," her words were short, her tone clipped. It was obvious she was upset. Remus could see the two pale, obvious figuring that they were about to be blamed, or at the very least looked at extremely carefully, for the events that had just occurred.

"Of course, Professor," James responded, moving to follow her into the castle. Remus and Peter stood rooted in place, watched their friends leave.

"This isn't good," Peter mused. Remus nodded, before turning to head back to the castle. There wasn't anything he could do standing there, but maybe some research in the library would provide a solution to their predicament.


	14. Chapter 13: A Very Potter Christmas

_Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanted to get back to_

 _~John Ed Pearce_

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen**

 **A Very Potter Christmas**

* * *

"Honestly, Professor. We didn't have anything to do with this! We were just as shocked and appalled by what happened as everyone else. Sure, we wanted Gryffindor to win, but win fairly. Winning by cheating cheapens the game and the win," Remus spoke, his eyes wide as he attempted to convince Professor McGonagall of his and his friends' innocence. It had been several weeks since the Quidditch game and, despite an investigation conducted by Professor Strinkley, Professor Slughorn, and Mister Broadmoor, no suspects had been established.

The jinxes placed on the broom were at a second year level, meaning there was a wide suspect pool of anyone able to perform second year magic. The jinxes had been difficult to deal with because multiple jinxes had been cast on each broom. It had taken Professor Strinkley about an hour to remove all the jinxes on all the brooms as a result. However, aside from the same jinx being used on Cadwallader's broom as Sirius had placed on Snape's, there was nothing about the jinxes that linked them to any person or group.

The Gryffindor team was quickly cleared because, as per Hogwarts Quidditch regulations, they'd left their wands in the changing rooms and had no opportunity to jinx the brooms. Suspicion then shifted to James and Sirius. They were where Professor McGonagall's suspicions had rooted. Aside from the jinx similarity, James and Sirius had come into contact with the Slytherin team's brooms when they'd cleaned them during detention. However, other Professors had cleared them because the pair had been in with the brooms without their wands. They, too, didn't really have an opportunity.

Yet, Professor McGonagall was still suspicious. They'd gotten away with the Halloween incident. Who was to say that they hadn't done it again? Because of this, Professor McGonagall had taken to questioning the boys repeatedly, most likely trying to catch them in a lie. When James and Sirius had failed to convince McGonagall of their innocence, they'd turned to Remus. He was the only one who hadn't faced detentions, so there was a slight hope that he would be more believable.

So far, that hadn't been the case.

"I would like to believe you, Mr. Lupin. However, the track records of Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, and even Mr. Pettigrew make it hard to take them at their word. The evidence of who committed the act against the Slytherin's is unclear, but some of it points towards them. I sincerely hope it isn't the case, but I can't dismiss them as suspects yet," Professor McGonagall responded. She truly did look sorry, and Remus hoped that would come to outweigh her suspicions.

However, as the month of November passed, it seemed that McGonagall remained steadfast. For their part, the four Gryffindor first years, chose to spend the last few weeks of their first semester focused solely on their schoolwork. McGonagall was keeping an extra close eye on them, and it made pulling off even a small prank against Snape extremely difficult. She seemed to be everywhere all the time. But, the quartet had resolved, once their winter break was over, and the heat of the Quidditch incident had died down a little, they would be back with a vengeance.

* * *

Finally, the semester came to an end and Christmas break was upon the Hogwarts students. James was excited to be heading home to see his parents and regale them with all the adventures he'd had. His possible guilt in the Quidditch debacle still hung over his head and threatened to dampen his spirits, but James tried his best to ignore it all.

He quickly packed his trunk and ran nearly as fast as he could down to the train. He and Sirius sat in the same compartment they shared on their first trip to Hogwarts. This time, though, Peter and Remus joined them. Remus looked almost as excited as James. The sandy haired boy had spent the days leading up to the break enthusiastically talking about all his family traditions, and now he was nearly bouncing. James had only become more and more pleased the more Remus talked about his family. The messy haired boy had known that his persistence would eventually pay off. The skinny, sandy haired boy was no longer reserved and apart. He was a full-fledged member of their group.

Peter had said he was happy to be returning home and he looked it, but James sensed there was something keeping him from being completely joy filled about the holiday. Something in Peter's eyes, concern and worry, kept James from fully believing the mousy boy. There was some aspect of the coming holiday that had put Peter slightly on edge, but he was very good at hiding it

For his part, Sirius looked like he'd rather be writing a twelve-foot paper than going home. Sirius had mentioned he didn't get along all that well with his family, but James hadn't really understood the extent until he say his friend's less than enthusiastic expression as they sat on the train for home. Sirius had complained about his parent's on several occasions, but James had assumed that was just a young boy upset at his parent's strictness, but maybe it was more than that.

"Anyone for a game of exploding snap?" James asked, trying to distract Sirius and Peter from their thoughts and emotions. Peter quickly chimed in, followed by Remus. Sirius seemed to be a little reluctant, but James chose to interpret that as a by-product of the shaggy haired boy's foul mood. However, after only a few rounds of the game, all four members of the compartment were quite loud and raucous, thoroughly enjoying their game.

As they were enjoying themselves, James caught a glimpse of Severus Snape and Lily Evans making their way through the hall. Lily was clearly animated and eager, talking and gesticulating. She had a wide smile on her face and a shimmer in her eyes. In stark contrast, Snape had his shoulders hunched, his head hung low and a sour expression on his face. He looked very similar to Sirius whenever someone mentioned the holidays. Maybe Snape, too, was not looking forward to the time off with family.

However, James wasn't given too much time to dwell on the thought because Lily and Snape quickly moved on and the current game of exploding snap quickly drew back his attention. The foursome spent the rest of the train ride playing various card games and devising new pranks and hijinks they could inflict on the castle when they returned from the break.

Finally, the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross station and the students disembarked and began their vacation.

* * *

Christmases at the Black residence meant a near endless parade of lavish parties at more and more decadent and expensive looking mansions. Each year, at around the end of October, the pureblood society women met at an exclusive pureblood tea shop in Knockturn Alley to decide who would be awarded the honour of hosting a Christmas party and, most importantly, who would win the highest honour of the highly coveted Christmas Eve celebration. The person who hosted Christmas Eve was considered the highest ranking pureblood in Britain. For the past five years, the coveted party had been held at the Black family home.

This year, however, the Christmas Eve party had been given to Walburga's sister-in-law. Druella Rosier-Black. It had caused quite the scandal, the essential crowning of a new highest family, and it had put Walburga in a foul mood.

"I blame Sirius," Walburga announced one morning over breakfast. She looked right at her oldest son as she spoke. "If you'd been sorted into a proper house and not the abomination that is Gryffindor, our family would still be considered the pinnacle! I mean Druella's daughter is dating a muggle and they still gave her Christmas Eve! It's because, despite their obvious flaws, all of her daughters were in Slytherin! Bellatrix and Narcissa are prefect pureblood women. I would be ecstatic to have them as my own! Instead I'm left with one perfect son and an… abomination!"

"Ted's a muggle-born," Sirius muttered under his breath. He'd long ago gotten used to his mother's abuse and, while it still stung, he'd developed ways to cope with it. One such way was to pick apart and correct the many misstatements his mother made during her tirades. She was usually far too focused on her anger to hear what Sirius said.

"You two had better make good matches and you, Regulus, must be sorted into Slytherin. I need to get back on top! Next year, Christmas Even will once again be mine! Kreacher!" Walburga continued her rant without acknowledging Sirius' words. She then stood and called out for the family's house elf. The small, slightly hunched elf quickly appeared in the Black family dining room. He stood before Walburga, absolute love and admiration in his eyes.

"Yes, mistress," the elf asked, bowing so low his nose touched the ground, "how can Kreacher be of service?"

"We have been given the task of hosting a Christmas party on December 23. It is an unforgivable step down for our family, and we must ensure that we put on the best soiree possible to ensure that such a travesty does not occur again. Now, let's get started." Walburga stood and left the room, rattling off a long list of tasks she expected the family's sole elf to complete in only four days.

Sirius groaned, dreading the next five days of parties and the pureblood families that would be attending them. He'd really wished his parents would have allowed him to spend Christmas at Hogwarts as he'd requested. Then he could have avoided all of the pain and annoyance he would no doubt experience and actually enjoy the holiday season for once. But, to his parents, having a child not return for the holidays was a black mark on the family, and Sirius had accumulated too many for them to let this one slip by. He needed to be represented to the pureblood society so they could see that, despite being sorted into Gryffindor, he was still an honourable pureblood.

* * *

The Pettigrew household was meticulously decorated. The garland and wreaths were magically maintained to keep their green colour and pine scent long after they would have normally faded. The Christmas tree that was placed in the house's front window was decorated like it was in a magazine. All of the decorations matched and were hung in a precise manner to create the perfect aesthetic. The house was lit with Christmas candles and a simple, yet elegant string of lights around the front window and door, and along the roofline.

In short, the house looked like a painting, like someone's envisioning of what a perfect Christmas would look like.

But Peter knew the truth. The decorations were a façade; they were his mother's attempts to make it appear like all was merry and joyful at the Pettigrew house. But, much like putting lipstick on a pig, it wasn't effective in changing what it was actually like to be in the house. Like so many of the Christmases of Peter's childhood, this Christmas was definitely not merry.

Peter rolled over in his bed, wincing as he placed his weight on his side. A large bruise was forming on that side and still hurt whenever even the smallest amount of pressure was put on it. Along with the bruise on his side, Peter was nursing several red, angry welts on his backside, and a rapidly darkening black eye. When she had a chance, his mother would easily heal his wounds, but until then, Peter had to be careful how he moved, sat, and lay in bed.

Peter's father had come home upset the day before. He had, once again, been passed over for a promotion at his job at the ministry. For years, he'd been angling for an upper management job, but had failed to get any higher than an assistant to an assistant in the Minister's office. So he was extremely upset when he arrived home on Christmas Eve.

Then he'd seen Peter sitting on the couch reading letters from James and Remus about how their holidays were going. The reminder of Peter's friends, and the fact that they'd gotten Peter in trouble and stained the Pettigrew name, set his father off.

"Peter! Front and center!" he yelled, causing the preoccupied boy to jump at the suddenness, "And bring the notes!" His father added the last statement when Peter had attempted to hide the letters behind a couch cushion. His father had told him that he didn't like Peter hanging around with boys that would so easily get him in trouble and had, very forcefully, suggested that Peter find different friends. However, for the shy and awkward Pettigrew, he didn't desire to change friends. For one, James, Sirius, and Remus seemed to genuinely care for him and how he was doing. James and Sirius always tried to include him in their antics and Remus was always willing to help Peter with his schoolwork. Their friendship was easy and effortless; Peter didn't have to work to be apart of the group. He didn't want new friends because they would most likely be nothing like the ones he currently had.

Extremely reluctantly, Peter stood and made his way towards his father. Shakily, he handed over the notes, terrified about what was to come. His father quickly read through the letters, zoning in on the signatures of the bottom. The elder Pettigrew angrily balled up the letters and threw them, hard, at Peter's head.

"Didn't I tell you those friends were bad news? Didn't I tell you to stay away from them? Didn't I tell you that you'd regret it if you chose not to listen? Why do you think you can defy me, boy?" Peter's dad grabbed onto his arms tightly, his fingers digging in to the soft skin of the eleven-year-old. The elder Pettigrew then proceeded to take out his anger on his son, beating him with his hands and his belt.

As Peter lay in his bed the next morning, Christmas morning, in a house decorated to look like a perfectly happy family lived there, he could help but think about what James had written. In his letter, James had described a family and events that would have perfectly matched the images of Peter's house, unlike Peter's family.

"Peter, darling," his mother lovingly called from the hallway outside his room, "Come on down! It's time to open presents! Your father and I are waiting for you!" Peter sighed, then carefully rolled out of his bed, very aware of his injuries. As he descended the stairs, he just hoped his father's anger didn't ruin Christmas morning as well. If not for him, then for his mother who had put in so much effort to make the season perfect.

* * *

Remus awoke in a small room in the cellar of his home, and a sense of relief washed over him. As unpleasant as W-Day was, there was some comfort in it occurring in the safety of his home. There was familiarity in this room, certainty. He knew that nothing truly bad could happen in this room. Despite Dumbledore's countless reassurances about the precautions they had taken, Remus still didn't have the same level of certainty.

He slowly moved over to a small metal box in the corner. It had claw and teeth marks covering it, but was still intact and closed. Remus carefully opened the latch and revealed the neatly folded Christmas sweater and well-patched pants held within. He took out the clothes and gingerly put them on, trying to avoid the fresh read scratch and bite marks that covered his body.

Just as he pulled the sweater down over his head, a series of clicking noises reverberated throughout the room. Remus turned to face the door, eagerly awaiting its opening. Finally, after several seconds, the heavy door slid open. Behind it stood Remus' dad. Lyle Lupin looked tired, yet he smiled warmly at his son.

"Hello, Remus. How was your night?" Remus' dad asked as he stepped to the side and motioned for his son to exit out of the small room.

"I feel better changing at home. It's comforting," he responded, slowly walking out of the cellar and climbing the stairs to the rest of the small house. His muscles were sore, a result of the strain they'd been put under the night before. He always felt sore after W-Day. It had become a slightly twisted sense of normal for him.

When Remus finally reached the top of the stairs, he was met with the delicious smell of sizzling bacon and warm, fresh made biscuits. After every W-Day, his mother made him the same, absolutely delicious breakfast. She'd cook up several pounds of bacon and make flaky, moist biscuits from scratch. Because Remus was always so hungry on the morning after W-Day, he would usually polish off most of the bacon and all of the biscuits.

Once again, the sense of familiarity brought a comfort to Remus. He found himself enjoying the morning, something that hadn't really happened before. Normally, the events of the night before hung over the family, and Remus especially, in an oppressive cloud. But on that day, so soon after Christmas, the cloud had dissipated some.

"Good morning, Remus dear. Breakfast is nearly ready. Go wash up and I'll put the food on the table." Remus' mum spoke without looking at him. Despite her lack of magic, Mrs. Lupin had always possessed the uncanny ability to know when Remus was behind her without having to look.

He quickly hurried to the small hall bathroom and quickly washed his hands and fac. A shower would definitely be required, but he figured it could wait until at least after he ate. As if to make this point even stronger, his stomach loudly rumbled. Yes, definitely eat first then shower and properly clean up later.

When Remus returned to the cozy, delicious smelling kitchen, the small table was piled with food, and his parents were sitting in their normal spots eating and quietly talking about various different topics. Remus slid into his small, slightly shabby chair and eagerly began piling his plate with bacon and a small amount of fresh fruit his mother had included in an attempt to provide her boys with a balanced breakfast. Remus then dug in, thoroughly enjoying his mother's cooking, being with his parents, and not having to hide his secret for fear of being found out.

It was definitely good to be home.

* * *

James sat on the floor in front of the large Potter Christmas tree. Wrapping paper was spread throughout the floor surrounding him. A wide smile was plastered on his face. This Christmas had been absolutely perfect. The night before, the extended Potter family and many of the Potter's friends had gathered at the mansion to celebrate with copious amounts of food, drink, and good cheer. The party had gone late into the night as the revelatory party-goes thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Then, on Christmas morning, James had awoken early and gone down to see the family tree with a mountain of presents beneath it. Most were for James, gifts from the guests of the party as well as his parents. With each gift that James had opened, his joy had only increased. Now, having opened the last gift, James sat and took in the moment.

Christmas was his favourite time of year and this one hadn't failed to deliver in joy, merriness, and general Christmas spirit. It had truly been a very merry Potter Christmas.


	15. Chapter 14: Return

_Rivalry adds so much to the charms of one's conquests_

 _~Louisa May Alcott_

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen**

 **Return**

* * *

Sirius stood at the entrance to the platform, having convinced his parents to simply side-along apparate him to the alley near King's Cross and leave him there. He'd had enough of his family over the break and wanted to be away from them as soon as possible. Now, he was waiting for his friends to show up and the Hogwarts Express to take him back to Hogwarts.

His Christmas had gone from bad to worse. He'd been dragged from pureblood party to pureblood party in the days leading up to Christmas. Then he'd been forced to go to his aunt's party, the Christmas Eve party. He didn't even have the one cousin he could stand to help him get through it. Andromeda had been told in no uncertain terms that she was not welcome to come.

The parties, and their crowd, had only whipped his parents' fanaticism into a flurry and he basically had to hole himself up in his room to get away from the absolutely terrible things that his mother and father were spewing off nonstop. Luckily, Sirius' favourite wizarding rock band, The Jinxes, had some very loud music with which to drown out their words.

"Sirius!" a familiar voice called, "Mum! Dad! This is Sirius!" James exclaimed as he made his way through the crowd of muggles at the train station travelling home from the holidays. Two older individuals, both with warm kind faces, followed James. His father had thick, wire-framed glasses, grey hair with streaks of the same dark brown hair as James, and warm brown eyes. He wore a tailored tweed suit, making him look like a muggle professor and walked through the train station with a sense of comfort. His mother had a warm, round face with melted chocolate coloured eyes. Her hair was white, with gentle curls that ended just above her shoulders. She wore a simple muggle dress and a dark overcoat. James looked like a perfect mixture of both his mother and his father, equal parts both of them. A wide smile broke across Sirius' face at the sight of his friend.

"So nice to meet you, Sirius. James has spoken so much and so highly of you. I'm glad he's found a friend in you." Mrs. Potter spoke. The warmth and love on her face, directed at Sirius, was foreign to him. No one, especially not his mother, had ever looked at him like that.

"Nice to meet you, too," Sirius responded. He then turned and focused on James, a little uncomfortable with the loving attention, "Good holiday?" James nodded, then turned to his parents.

"I think I'll be fine from here. Sirius and I can manage on our own. I'll write to you as soon as I'm back!" James embraced his parents and they said their goodbyes, his mother almost smothering the messy haired boy in loving kisses. Then James and Sirius turned and disappeared through the wall and back onto the platform.

* * *

Once back at school, the students quickly fell back into old routines. They attended classes, worked on assignments, and practiced the magic they'd been taught. A sense of calm and normalcy settled over the school. Whispers of the Halloween prank and, more prominently, the Gryffindor-Slytherin match still filled the air, but as time passed, the students moved on. They had their own problems and concerns.

For their part, the return to Hogwarts for James and Sirius meant a return to tormenting Snape at every opportunity. In the space between Halloween and Christmas, the duo had temporarily ceased any misbehaviour, already feeling enough heat from events they hadn't been a part of.

However, with the school moving on, and Professor McGonagall ceasing her, for lack of a better term, interrogations, James and Sirius felt they could return to their old ways. They started small, by vanishing his books from his bag, or his hands, or from right in front of his face. As the weeks had passed and nothing terrible had come down on them, James and Sirius got bolder in their efforts.

"Here he comes," Sirius whispered, craning his neck around a corner. He was acting as a lookout, while James sat hunched in an alcove behind a statue, scribbling something onto a piece of paper. Sirius squeezed behind the statue to join James. "You almost ready? He'll be here any minute."

"Just about, and, done!" James exclaimed with a flourish. He then slipped the paper out from behind the statue and onto the hallway floor. It stopped just as a pair of extremely worn, scuffed shoes came into view. The shoes halted in front of the sheet and someone reached down to pick it up.

A mop of greasy hair fell in front of the person's face as they bent down, but James and Sirius knew it was Snape. They high fived each other, proud of their success at capturing their target. Snape picked up the paper; a map that James had created that led to a secret passageway that claimed it would shave two minutes off the trip to the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom.

Snape looked around, probably trying to see who had dropped it. When he could spot no one, he looked back down at the paper and a satisfied smile crossed his face. He thought it was his lucky day, and quickly headed off in the direction the map led him.

Sirius and James snickered as they appeared from behind the statue. They celebrated their victory a little, another successful prank committed against Snivellus. After a few seconds, the pair collected themselves and headed off in the correct direction of the DADA classroom.

"Wonder how long it'll take him to get out of our little trap," James mused as he walked into the classroom and glanced at Snape's regular spot. With only a minute before Professor Strinkley began his lesson, his spot was conspicuously empty. James and Sirius high fived once more before taking their seats and preparing for the class.

It wasn't until ten minutes into the lecture that Snivellus finally appeared, looking slightly crazed. He tried to explain his tardiness, stating he'd been caught in a dead end hallway that had then closed in on him and trapped him, but Professor Strinkley wasn't buying it. For the first time that year, Strinkley took points away from Slytherin house. James and Sirius inconspicuously high fived for what felt like the millionth time that day. It sure was good to be back!

* * *

"And your foot-long essay on the proper care techniques for Devil's Snare is due on Friday!" Professor Greensleigh reminded as the first-years packed up and left the greenhouse. Sirius groaned at the reminder, having forgotten the paper completely. He'd been far too preoccupied with the uptick in pranking he and James had been doing to remember his schoolwork. Now, he'd have two days to research and write it, as well as finish all his other work.

"Any one up for the library tonight? I forgot about Greensleigh's essay. Then there's Flitwick's warming charm that needs to be perfected by Monday, the wand movement and proper incantation explanation for the square to circle button transfiguration for Professor McGonagall also on Friday. And then whatever it was Professor Strinkley wanted us to do. I could really use some company," Sirius spoke as the students' carefully made their way across the snow-covered grounds and back up to the castle.

"I'm a little behind too," Peter piped up, "can't seem to get my water anywhere close to lukewarm." Peter looked down at his feet, slightly embarrassed at his poor skills.

"You really should spend less time pestering others and spend more time on your schoolwork," Remus responded, though he spoke barely above a whisper. Sirius took it to mean that Remus wanted to say his piece, but he also didn't want to upset his friends.

"You should listen to your friend! No one's ever failed out of first year, but I guess there's always a first time for everything," a snide voice spoke from behind the small group. Sirius quickly spun around, ready to confront whomever had the audacity to insult his magical prowess. Sure, Sirius' schoolwork was average, and his work ethic far below, but his practical magical ability was beyond reproach and would most certainly ensure his continued enrolment at the school.

A wry smile crossed Sirius face as he saw who had spoken.

"You're one to talk, Snivellus. Couldn't even find your Charms book in class! How do you expect to remain in Hogwarts if you can't even keep track of your stuff? You should really be more careful." Sirius then turned back around and, with his back to Snape, magically tied the other boy's shoelaces together. As soon as Snape took a single step, he topped over, landing face first in the snow.

Laughter erupted from all those surrounding Snape. Sirius turned back around, smirking down at Snape.

"Proving my point already," he spoke cockily, clearly extremely proud with himself.

* * *

That evening found Sirius, along with James, Peter, and Remus, sitting at a filled table in the library as Sirius had said he would be. The table was filled with books, papers, scraps of parchment, ink and broken quills, and a smattering of square and circular buttons. There was also a cup of water, bubbling and boiling, on an unoccupied chair. The boys had gathered all the supplies they needed to complete their work and settled in for what looked like hours.

Sirius was pouring through Herbology textbooks and even issues of Witch Weekly and Green Wand, a magazine about magical gardening, for any tips and techniques on caring for the extremely tricky, and potentially lethal, Devil's Snare. James was working on putting the final finishing flourishes on his transfiguration paper. He'd been practicing the button transfiguration to ensure that he had every part of the spell explained as perfectly as he could. Remus, having finished all his work earlier in the week, was helping Peter with his warming charm. Remus had been the one to get the water in the cup to boil; all Peter had been able to manage was barely warm enough to melt an ice cube placed in the water.

Suddenly, the buttons around the table began to shake, almost as if there was an earthquake that only affected the buttons. Then, they sprung up and began dancing an Irish jig. In succession, the books joined in. The four Gryffindors sat at their table, completely shocked and confused at what was going on.

A light chuckle drew their attention across the library. Sitting at a table a few over from them was Lily, Marlene, and Victoria Chisholm, the third in the small group of Gryffindor first years that seemed almost as inseparable as the boys. There were other first year girls, of course, a few of them, but they were sort of periphery to this group's friendship.

"It isn't that great a feeling when someone messes with your things, huh?" Lily commented, lightly twirling her wand around between her fingers. She had a dark, almost sneer on her face that didn't quite seem to fit her otherwise soft and welcoming face.

"You did this? Charmed them to dance like this?" James asked, sounding more impressed by her actions than annoyed. Sirius had to admit, it was some pretty complicated charm work. He'd never really paid Lily Evans too much mind, except whenever she came to harass James and him about bothering Snivellus. Maybe now he would, knowing what she could do.

"You aren't the only one who can perform difficult spell work, James," Lily sing-songed. As she spoke, her sneer disappeared and a look of pain clouded her features. It looked just as strange and foreign on her face as the sneer. Lily always seemed like such a happy person.

"I just wanted you to know what it feels like, to have someone else charm, or curse, or jinx you or your belongings. I'm not as cruel as you can be, so I'm not sure how effective it is. Please, leave Severus alone. He hasn't done anything to you. Ever. He only ever fights back when you attack or provoke first." As she spoke, tears filled her eyes and threatened to spill down her cheeks. She turned away, focusing back on her friends.

As soon as Lily had turned away, the books and buttons stopped their jig. The four Gryffindor boys were quiet for a few seconds, processing what had just happened. Sirius and James both looked sheepishly down at their hands after being reprimanded. Then, slowly, they focused back onto their work. Lily, Marlene, and Victoria left shortly after Lily's speech, allowing Sirius to better concentrate on his work. He did have a lot to get done.

All four were once again so focused on their own tasks, that they didn't notice a figure approaching the table until he was right by them, looming over the first years. Sirius was the first to look up and spot chaser and prefect Frank Longbottom. Also approaching was the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Miles Coote. Both had purposeful looks on their faces.

"How can I help you gentlemen?" Sirius asked. His words dew the attention of the others at the table.

"We've come to speak to you. Specifically you, Black, and you, Potter. As I'm sure you're aware, the next Gryffindor Quidditch match will be played in about three weeks time. And I'm sure you all remember what happened last match," Coote, always the leader, spoke first. Pained, and slightly sad expressions crossed the face of the four first years.

"Unfortunately, despite a thorough investigation on the part of Professor Strinkley and Professor Slughorn, there is still a cloud of suspicion over Gryffindor house, and specifically the team and you four. A lot of people think that some combination of the team and you were responsible for jinxing the brooms. This had only increased because nothing happened in the other two games, when Gryffindor wasn't playing." Frank added, looking pointedly at James and Sirius.

"People are saying we only jinx teams we play directly, and not just teams whose losses could benefit us," Coote chimed in. Sirius looked at both older boys, wondering where they were going with their story.

"So, just as a precaution," Frank spoke, suddenly looking slightly awkward and twisting his hands. He paused his speech, searching for the next words. It quickly became prolonged and Miles Coote got annoyed with it.

"Up to, and possibly slightly after, our next Quidditch match, we need you to stop pestering, or whatever you'd consider it, the Slytherin boy and, for that matter, anyone. If you don't do anything before the match, it'll be harder for people to blame you should something happen. Think you can do that?" Coote's tone was easy-going and conversational, but Sirius couldn't help but feel like he was being threatened. Coote seemed to be implying that, if James and Sirius kept on with Snivellus and something happened at the Quidditch match, he would be sure to pin it on the two first years.

"Definitely. Bothering Snivellus is just a pastime. He get's annoying and uppity so we mess with him to put him back in his place. But we can definitely lay off him for a month," James responded before anyone else said anything and without consulting the others. Coote turned to look at the other three, lingering on Sirius for a beat. The other three nodded in agreement with what James had said. Apparently satisfied with this, Coote then left. Frank, however, hung back for a moment.

"Just a piece of prefectural advice," Frank spoke, still looking slightly awkward, "You should be careful with how you treat Severus Snape. He, from what I've seen, hasn't done much to bother you or really invite mistreatment. To some, your pranks, as you call them, could come off as personal attacks and bullying. Just, you know, think about it." Having said his piece, Frank then left as well, jogging to catch up with Coote.

"That's what I've been saying," Remus spoke before turning back to the cup of water. Sirius scowled at it all. He, most definitely, was not a bully.

* * *

Over the next week, Sirius and James simply avoided Snape. They walked quickly through the hallways whenever he was around, sat completely opposite of him in any classes they shared, and tried not to look in his general direction. Sirius figured if Snape wasn't a part of their lives, temporarily, it would be easier to leave him alone.

Snape, for his part, seemed to be cooperating. Maybe he was finally getting wise to the fact that Sirius and James liked getting a rise out of him, liked seeing him react. Maybe he was still recuperating from the last time he tried to take on the pair and ended up with a face full of dirt. Whatever it was, Snape seemed to be laying low as well.

Then, just before the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff match, as the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins were brewing Pepper Up potions, Snape struck back. Sirius could tell James was eager about this potion; some distant relative had invented it and the Potter's took it as a point of pride. James would have no problem brewing this one, unlike some of the others they'd been assigned.

Slughorn kept all the ingredients up at the front of the classroom, and made the students walk up and gather them as they went. James was easily moving through the steps of the potion when Snape walked by, having gone up to the front to retrieve something, a dumped a handful of some sort of green powder into James' cauldron.

His previously perfect Pepper Up potion, suddenly started shooting off colourful sparks, as if there were firecrackers in the potion. Snape just walked away, chuckling at the mayhem that he had created, as Professor Slughorn arrived to try and rectify the situation. At the end of the class, all James had to show for his work was a destroyed, and absolutely useless, Pepper Up potion. Slughorn had promised him another opportunity, but Snape hadn't been blamed because James and Sirius had been the only ones to see him put the powder into the cauldron.

Both boys had wanted to retaliate, had felt it deep in their bones, but they couldn't. They'd promised Longbottom and Coote. They wouldn't go back on their word.

"Snape had better watch his back after that match. We'll be coming for him harder than we ever have before," Sirius whispered through gritted teeth as they walked out of potions that afternoon.


	16. Chapter 15: Up to Something

_Fraud and falsehood only dread examination. Truth invites it._

 _~Samuel Johnson_

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen**

 **Up to Something**

* * *

Leading up to the mid-February Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff Quidditch match, James and Sirius kept their word. They didn't pull a single prank, or do anything at all to Severus Snape. The Slytherin hadn't made it easy, either. After the lack of response to his Pepper Up potion sabotage, he seemed to grow in confidence. He'd shout out insults and taunts as the four Gryffindor's passed. Snape never went for another out and out attack, obviously too afraid to push his luck too far. Which, James had to admit, was smart of him. There was only so much James and Sirius could take before they forgot their word, went against their promise, and retaliated.

However, James and Sirius weren't completely idle. They'd found out they could still get a slight rise out of Snape based simply on their reputation. All they needed was to whisper to each other in his presence, or simply look suspicious and like they were up to something, and Snape would instantly start worrying. He would throw furtive glances at the pair and give them a wide berth.

"You know Sirius," James commented one chilly early February day as the first years once again made their way down to the Quidditch pitch for their flying lesson. They were walking right behind Snape, who was once again alone, taunting him with verbal threats.

"Know what, James?" Sirius responded. Both were talking rather loudly, ensuring that Snape could hear them. The greasy haired boy kept his head down and pretended to ignore the pair.

"It's been an awfully long time since we taught Snape anything. Maybe he's started to forget our lessons." As he walked, James kicked at the loose stones on the pathway. Several, much to James' delight, bounced off the back of Snape's legs, back, and butt.

"He has been getting rather uppity, lately. Shooting off his mouth. Doing some pretty stupid things in potions class. He could do for another lesson, I'd say." Sirius replied. He pulled his hands from his pockets and began rolling up his sleeves like he was preparing for something. Severus Snape picked up his pace, but the Gryffindor boys kept up with him.

"Of course," James continued, "we couldn't do something now. It would be too expected. No, we should wait a little. Lull Snivellus into a false sense of security and then strike when he's let his guard down." Sirius, James, and Peter then burst out into laughter and the foursome pushed passed Snape on their way down to the Quidditch pitch.

* * *

The temporary cessation of pranking also allowed James and Sirius more time to focus on other things like their schoolwork (which wasn't really a high priority), their continued exploration of the castle that they'd begun while looking for the Hogwarts kitchens, and their plans for future pranks. If nothing happened at the upcoming Quidditch game, James and Sirius wanted to plan for another large-scale joke. One that, unlike tampering with brooms and players, the school would find humorous and enjoyable.

"I knew this kid, a muggle from back home. He always talked about this thing called a film, like a whole bunch of photographs put together to tell a story. Anyway, this film was called Fantasia, and, in it, this like magical mouse animates brooms and makes them dance around," James suggested one afternoon, about two days before the match. He and Sirius sat at a small table in an alcove of the Gryffindor common room. Sirius was busy scratching out words on a piece of parchment, ideas for their next big prank. At James' word, Sirius stopped his writing and looked up at James.

"Sounds interesting but I think, for the time being, we should avoid anything that has to do with animating brooms, even if it is just to have them dance around. Too similar to what happened at the match. It might raise suspicions and only increase the heat on us," Sirius responded, keeping his voice as soft and quiet as possible. He didn't want anyone overhearing them talking about brooms, even if it was to deny their role in the whole debacle. Suspicious ears could turn even the most innocuous of conversations into something malicious.

James, taking in, and fully agreeing with, Sirius' words, turned to look out the window beside him. He was hoping maybe something he saw outside would act as a spark of inspiration and give him an idea for their next prank.

For the most part, the grounds outside were deserted. It was cold and dark out, a hamper to many students. At that point, they much more preferred the warmth of the castle. However, James was able to spot a few brave souls out enjoying the crisp February night. A small group of six were running around in the fresh snow, which had fallen the night before and throughout that day. They were playing in the snow, and throwing snowballs at each other.

And with that, James had an idea.

* * *

The day of the Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff game was cold and crisp. Students donned multiple layers, thick cloaks, and warm scarves denoting their house they were cheering on. As well, some of the older students were selling small jars with bluebell flames to help people keep warm on the outdoor pitch.

The student body was excited, buzzing with predictions of what would happen. Quidditch was a major event at Hogwarts and never failed to excite the population. However, this time, there was also an edge to the excitement. This would be the first match for Gryffindor since the disastrous one against Slytherin. The buzz of predictions was slightly tempered by whispers about the possibilities of the Hufflepuff brooms being tampered with, or that something else similar could happen.

James and the others chose to ignore the less pleasant whisperings and mumblings, and forged ahead to their spots. Slowly, the rest of the students trickled in, filling the stands. Then the players for both teams walked out onto the grass below.

"Good morning, Hogwarts! Today looks like an excellent, if chilly, day for Quidditch. Today, Hufflepuff, a fairly sturdy team with quite the chance at winning the cup, in my slightly biased opinion. They've won against Ravenclaw, and they can most certainly beat Gryffindor. Speaking of, the team going up against Hufflepuff, is the winner of the cup last year. However, in their first match against Slytherin, which I'm sure you all remember, they were absolutely decimated. In order to have any chance for the cup this year, Gryffindor must win this game." Karlson, the announcer, boomed out over the crowd. Cheers and jeers erupted from the students depending on what was being said.

"Mr. Broadmoor has arrived and the game begins! Now, no funny business out there, ladies and gents! We want a nice, fair game!" Karlson spoke with a joking tone, but James didn't appreciate it. The broom tampering had probably been someone's idea of a joke, similar to the Halloween prank, but it had backfired, royally. No one would try the same thing again.

"Gryffindor starts with possession of the Quaffle after chaser Frank Longbottom beats his Hufflepuff opponent Andrew Rudolph! Longbottom takes the Quaffle down the pitch, dodging bludgers sent by Finch and Beauregard! The Hufflepuff chaser, Meyers, is pressing him. Meyers is closing in on Longbottom. What will the Gryffindor chaser do? Oh, look, that's some pretty fancy flying from the fifth-year! But Meyers is still on Longbottom's tail. Longbottom must be felling the pressure, he winds up and … passes to fellow chaser Cornish, who is able to get passed the Hufflepuff defence. Gryffindor quickly closes the gap to the keeper and Cornish takes a shot! And it's good! Ten points to Gryffindor!"

When he watched Quidditch with his father, James followed the action by watching the chasers and the Quaffle. After all, that was the main part of the game. However, his father watched differently. Quidditch games were always announced so if you missed where the Quaffle was, you could still follow the game. Because his father could hear the game, he didn't watch the Quaffle and the chasers, but searched out the seekers. This, Fleamont insisted, was the true mastery of Quidditch. Games were not often won by the chasers, but by the seeker and 150 point Snitch.

The first few minutes of the game passed in much the same way. Gryffindor had possession of the Quaffle most, about 20 of the first 30 minutes. And the score represented that fact. Gryffindor was leading Hufflepuff with a score of 60 to 10. Nothing untoward or malicious had occurred. None of the players on either team seemed to be having any problem with their brooms. In short, besides the dominance of one team over another, the first 30 minutes of the game was entirely routine.

But then, at 30 minutes, everything went wrong. Just like in the first match against Slytherin, several of the Hufflepuff players seemed to loose control of their brooms. All the players, on both teams, must have been on edge since walking onto the pitch that day, because as soon as things went wrong, they all froze. Well, all those who had control over their brooms froze.

The three Hufflepuff chasers were the victims this time, and whomever had jinxed their brooms had done so in such a way that it made the three chasers appear to be performing a choreographed dance. They dove and spun around in quite an eye catching and appealing fashion. Despite the visually appealing nature of it all, the assembled crowd still reacted with jeers and shouted complaints. Even Gryffindors joined in, upset that someone was messing with their team, their house, their reputation, and making them look bad.

Mr. Broadmoor was quickly able to freeze the offending brooms and get the Hufflepuff chasers, Rudolph, Meyers, and Smith onto the grass below. Professor Strinkley quickly made his way to the players and took their brooms. Rudolph, Meyers, and Smith were then presented with school brooms, which they gladly accepted.

During the whole affair, which had only lasted about five minutes, Karlson had been silent. He hadn't even spoken when the brooms first started acting up. He had been commenting on the game and then he'd gone silent. As James looked away from the action on the field and towards the small commentators booth that was located in front of the staff stands, he saw why Karlson had gone silent.

It would appear that, as soon as things had started to go wrong, Professor Greensleigh, the Deputy Headmaster and the Head of Hufflepuff house, had jumped in and silenced the announcer's megaphone thing. Karlson was obviously not happy about having his voice taken away and was in quite a row with Professor Greensleigh.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Suddenly the voice of Professor Dumbledore echoed throughout the stands. The power and force behind the words got everyone's attention and they ceased their previous actions. "Unfortunately, someone has decided to disrupt the goings-on of this game. I'm not sure if they think it is a joke, or if their intent is malicious. I can assure you that, because of the repeated nature of these events, a full and thorough investigation will be conducted. The perpetrators will be found out and adequately dealt with. Tampering with players' brooms in any instance, but especially in an official match is absolutely reprehensible.

"After a brief discussion with all of the players, their desire to continue the game has made clear. As you saw, the affected players have been given replacement brooms. From here on out, I want a clean game with no more funny business. I would hate to have to call the rest of the matches because of the actions of a few misguided souls." Professor Dumbledore let the threat hang in the air, hoping it would be enough to stop the broom tampering. If this was a joke, the threat of the cessation of further Quidditch matches should be enough to make it clear that the joke was not funny. If the persons responsible were jinxing brooms in an attempt to fix the matches, and presumably assure the cup for a particular team, the potential of that goal being removed should also stop the jinxing.

"And, we're back!" Karlson said after Dumbledore returned to his seat. All the players remounted their brooms and returned to the air. "Hufflepuff has the quaffle! Smith takes it down the field! Oh! Hit by a bludger. Smith has released the quaffle and Gryffindor chaser Cornish retrieves it! Gryffindor is moving down the pitch. The quaffle is passed between Cornish and Longbottom! The two expertly evade Hufflepuff defence and shoot! Saved by McLaughlin! Score still stands at 60 to 10 for Gryffindor!"

Play resumed, back to the normality that it had been at the start. All players seemed to be in control of their brooms. As well, a new passion seemed to be ignited in the Hufflepuffs and their play became much more ferocious and focused. Where they'd previously been slow and not much competition, now they were lightning fast and fierce.

As well as the Hufflepuff players, James noticed that Gryffindor's seeker seemed to be more intense and focused. He flew around the pitch with more vigour, his head on a constant swivel. It looked as if Gryffindor wanted to end this game as soon as possible, to not drag it out and have the possibility of something else happening.

"Hufflepuff scores! We now stand at 90 to 40 after an hour of a play! Oh, what's this! Gryffindor seeker Wilde has shot to the left of the pitch! Has she spotted something? Hufflepuff's seeker is far behind her, trying to catch up! Will he make it in time? No! Wilde has caught the snitch! Gryffindor wins!" A cheer went up from the Gryffindor section and a smattering of the Ravenclaws joined in as well.

As the students either celebrated or hung their heads in disappointment, James scanned the crowd. He wanted to see if he could see anyone acting suspicious. Maybe if he found the actual culprits, any suspicion on him and Sirius would be shifted to the correct individuals. In the Slytherin section, James spotted Warrington, the Slytherin team's captain and the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor Strinkley. They were talking to each other, but trying to look like they weren't. instantly, James' instincts were peaked. Something was definitely up with them. And James was going to find out what, especially if it cleared his name.

* * *

James followed his friends out of the stadium. He hung back a little, trying to find a way to discretely inform his friends about what he saw. Not wanting to share his suspicions in front of others in case he was wrong, he was looking for a place that was secluded. However, in the crowd of students he wasn't finding a good spot.

"You okay?" Sirius asked, drawing James' attention from his quest. Sirius, Remus, and Peter were standing around James, looking concerned. His search had kept him preoccupied to the point where he was nearly completely unaware of his surroundings. Had he done something to worry his friends?

"Yeah, why?" James asked, drawing out the words to emphasize the question. He was a little worried that he'd actually done something. The looks his friends were giving him really had him on edge.

"You look a little suspicious, glancing into corners and whatnot. Plus, you're walking really slowly. What are you up to because this sort of behaviour isn't really a good idea right now. People already think we're guilty and this isn't helping." Sirius responded.

"I saw something during the Quidditch match, something that could help us clear our names and reputations. I wanted to talk to you guys about it but, somewhere more private than in a crowd of other students. Just trying to find a place," James responded.

"I might have a place," Remus spoke, looking a little nervous and embarrassed about it. He led the group out of the stands but, instead of turning towards the castle, he turned towards the Forbidden Forest. James, Sirius, and Peter followed him. A few students shot them looks, obviously believing their breakaway from the larger group meant they were up to something. James tried his best to ignore them for once, feeling more confident now that he had a viable suspect for the broom tampering.

As the boys walked closer and closer to the edge of the forest, a sense of thrill filled James. Despite their present circumstances, he quite enjoyed their little sojourn to the forest. It was off limits, out of bounds. Students weren't supposed to be going there. Yet here they were, walking right towards it.

"Alright," Sirius spoke, turning on James. They had reached a small clearing just on the outside of the forest, well away from any other students. "What did you see? What's this thing that will clear us of all suspicion?" Sirius looked like a kid in a candy store, excited to clear his name and return to the joy of pranking without the large sword of misplaced guilt hanging over his head.

"At the end of the game, I thought I might be able to spot something that I could use as a clue. I was looking for someone out of place or acting strangely. Maybe someone looking around obviously, or extraordinarily upset at Hufflepuff's loss. What I saw can definitely be used as a clue.

"Professor Strinkley wasn't in the staff stands, but in amongst the Slytherin students. This is what caught my eye because he shouldn't have been there. It was strange behaviour. Anyway, Strinkley was talking to Warrington, the Slytherin Quidditch captain. Both looked too pleased with themselves. I mean, a Hufflepuff loss is good for Slytherin's chances at the Cup, but they seemed too pleased. Like they were pleased about more than just the uptick in their chances. They were trying really hard to make it look like they weren't talking to each other –looking in the opposite direction and talking behind hands and sleeves.

"I think Strinkley and Slytherin have something to do with the broom tampering." James finally came out and said it. He held his breath for a few seconds, worried about his friends' reaction.

"And if Strinkley is in on the broom hexing, he can influence the investigation. He can hide or destroy any evidence that points to Slytherin and fabricate or plant evidence that points to us or the Gryffindor team!" Sirius' exclaimed, jumping in on James' story. James nodded in agreement at his friend's words. He was relieved that Sirius was so willing to believe him.

"But why would Slytherin hex their own brooms? They could have easily lost the game with their antics. It seems like too high a cost, even if they're trying to make Gryffindor look bad." Remus chimed in, looking a little sceptical at what his friends were saying.

"They were in control the whole time. If they'd gotten into a deficit that they didn't think they could get out of, they could have cast counter-jinxes and played on. Also, if they had lost, they could have made Gryffindor look obviously guilty and gotten the team disqualified. It's not that risky of an idea, if you think about it." James responded. Remus was silent, conceding that James' explanation in defence was plausible.

"So," Sirius spoke after the quartet had lapsed into silence for several seconds, "what's our next step? What do we do with this information?" He was looking directly at James, waiting for the messy haired boy to divulge his plan. Sirius obviously believed that James had a full-fledged plan about what to do with the information to clear their names.

"Well, this isn't really proof of something." James responded a little sheepishly, "it's just a gut feeling of mine and no one will believe us based solely on a gut feeling. What we need now that we've got a possible suspect is some real, solid proof. We need to see if there is anything that connects the Slytherin's to the jinxings."

"Looks like it's time for a stakeout," Sirius said, his voice low and conspiratorial.


	17. Chapter 16: Dire Mission

_I do not seek. I find._

 _~Pablo Picasso_

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen**

 **Dire Mission**

* * *

About twenty minutes after the four Gryffindor first years had walked into the small clearing on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, they returned. It had taken about five minutes for James to reveal what he saw, and then the remaining fifteen had been spent plotting and planning how they could observe the Slytherins, particularly the Slytherin Quidditch team, without being spotted. Once they felt confident in what they'd come up with, they headed back towards the castle.

Only a few stragglers still remained out in the grounds. Despite it being Saturday and a day when students didn't really have anywhere else to be, nearly the entire student body had hastily made their way back into the castle. It was far too cold, most reasoned, to be out in the grounds for much longer. James and the others quickly hurried across the snow-covered area, wanting to join the rest of the student body in the warmth of the castle.

As they got close to the door, the boys slowed their pace. Standing in the doorway of the Entrance Hall was a stern, disappointed looking Professor McGonagall. She caught James' eye and simply shook her head, obviously upset about whatever it was that had called her to the doorway at that moment. The four boys stopped talking, obviously sensing that something terrible was about to occur.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Pettigrew. I have something rather important that I need to discuss with you, Mr. Potter and Mr. Black." Peter and Remus moved like they were going to go with their friends, despite them not being included. Professor McGonagall levelled them with a look that stopped them in their tracks.

"In private," she added sternly, making it clear that she would not have Peter and Remus trying to tag along. "Something has recently come to my attention that has left me greatly upset. If you two would please come with me to my office so we can discuss this further." She continued to look sternly down at the other two boys, rooting them in place. Once she was certain that they wouldn't try to follow, Professor McGonagall turned on her heel and headed into the castle. James and Sirius reluctantly followed.

"I assure you, Professor," James piped up, sure that he knew what this new information was about, "we have absolutely nothing to do with the brooms. We would never taint a Quidditch game. We did hex the pumpkin pasties at Halloween, as I'm sure you've already deduced, but we did nothing at all to either Slytherin's or Hufflepuff's brooms!"

"Unfortunately, your word isn't worth quite as much anymore, Mr. Potter, even with your new-found willingness to be honest about previous acts. New evidence has been recently brought forward and it is fairly strong and believable." Professor McGonagall made it clear that that was the end of the discussion on the matter. At least until they arrived at the seclusion and privacy of her office. James hung his head and hunched his shoulders, feeling defeated.

He'd been in trouble before, and served detention several times already. He wasn't feeling defeated because of the possibility of facing another detention or some worse punishment. He was defeated because he'd had absolutely nothing to do with the crime he was currently accused of committing. He was fine getting in trouble for things he'd done, but getting in trouble for things he hadn't done threatened to shake his view of the world. He'd always believed that the universe was a just place where people got what they deserved; now he was starting to doubt that.

When they arrived at Professor McGonagall's office, the two boys took a seat in the armchairs before the large desk. McGonagall sat in the large chair on the other side. She intertwined her fingers and rested her chin on them. This forced her to look down her nose at the boys through the rim of her glasses. It was quite the intimidating look.

"Mr. Potter. Mr. Black. A few moments ago, Mr. Warrington came into my office quite distressed, with an extraordinary tale he felt compelled to tell. A few nights ago, he witnessed the two of you sneaking around the hallways and corridors. He was about to write you up for being out of bed after hours when you disappeared into the school broom closet. This immediately raised his suspicions and turned your behaviour from routine rule flouting to something more sinister. However, he couldn't investigate your actions further because a loud, much more pressing, commotion erupted from down the hall and he was forced to go deal with that.

"He quickly forgot about seeing you, what with his busy schedule. That is why he did not act on his suspicions sooner. However, today, when he saw the Hufflepuff brooms jinxed in the same fashion as his own team's broom had been, the memory came rushing back. He quickly called over Professor Strinkley and informed him and then found me and repeated it all.

"This is now twice that you two have been placed with the school's supply of brooms and the area where players store their personal brooms within days of a jinxing incident at a Quidditch game. So far, no one else has been shown to have such access, making you two our top suspects. Because of this, I will be confiscating your wands so their spell history can be examined. If it is found that your wands recently performed any of the jinxes or hexes that have been placed on the brooms, further action will be taken." Professor McGonagall then held out her hand expectantly.

"That's not true!" Sirius burst out, springing to his feet in indignant outrage, "we weren't anywhere the past few evenings except the Gryffindor common room and our dormitory! Frank Longbottom and Miles Coote came to ask us to lay low in the weeks leading up to the match for this very reason! They were worried about us sticking our necks out to pull pranks and… and other things, and said that, if something were to happen, it would only make us look more guilty. So we did as they asked! There is no way Warrington saw us anywhere near the brooms!" Sirius finished his speech. He was huffing, his breaths coming in short bursts only, whether it was from the action of springing to his feet and speaking without taking breaths, or a sort of indignant-based breathing problem, James wasn't sure.

James remained seated, staring at Professor McGonagall. He wanted to see what she thought of Sirius' proclamation. It wasn't the most elegant, and could possibly get them into trouble. Especially since James had noticed Sirius' pause around what else Frank and Coote had warned them off of, but hoped McGonagall hadn't. The last thing they needed was more doubt and scrutiny put on them.

"If that is the case, Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall continued on calmly, ignoring the tone and excitement of Sirius' outburst, "then the investigation of your wands will reveal that. Now, I've informed your professors of the situation and they will be providing you with more theoretical magical practice until you have your wands returned." Once again, McGonagall held out her hand for the boys' wands. James, seeing that fighting at this moment would be pointless, retrieved his wand and handed it over. Sirius reluctantly followed suit.

With the task completed, James and Sirius stood and left. As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, Sirius rounded on James. The longhaired boy had a gleam in his eyes that lifted James' spirits. Whatever Sirius was thinking, James was sure he'd like it.

"That does it!" Sirius nearly shouted, rapidly pacing through the hallway. "We need to get undeniable proof of Slytherin's involvement. I'm positive, Strinkley will do something during the wand investigation that makes us look guilty. If we don't strike back this will all fall on us!" James smiled widely at his friend.

"I couldn't have said it better myself. I say we start tonight, get this done as soon as possible before the Slytherins can turn everything on us!" Sirius then plodded off down the hall to find wherever Remus and Peter had gotten to, desiring to fill them in on what had happened and what they were going to do about it.

* * *

"Ouch, Peter! That's my foot!" James harshly whispered. He attempted to glare at his friend, but the cramped space made the task difficult. He quickly gave up and went back to trying to observe the hallway. Peter, Remus, Sirius, and James were all wedged behind a suit of armour that was located just outside of the Slytherin dormitory. The area behind the armour was cramped and provided only minimal coverage, resulting in the four boys stepping on toes and getting accidental elbows in the gut.

It had been nearly a week since the Hufflepuff-Gryffindor game. James and Sirius' wands were still being investigated, which Remus insisted was a good thing. The professors were obviously doing a thorough investigation and, since neither James nor Sirius had been called to anyone's office, they hadn't found anything. James still made it clear that he still missed his wand.

Being wandless, James and Sirius had focused all their free time to collecting whatever evidence they could on Slytherin. Peter had eagerly joined in, wanting to help his friends and prove his usefulness. However, doing reconnaissance and collecting evidence without access to magic was quite difficult. The boys had been forced to crowd themselves into alcoves, behind large tapestries, and behind statues and suits of armour.

It was far from the prefect system.

Because they hadn't been able to even attempt to hide or disguise themselves magically, James, Sirius, and Peter had been found out quite a few times. When it was a teacher, a friend or an acquaintance, or a neutral third party, the worst the discovery resulted in was mild embarrassment. However, when it was a member of Slytherin house, the boys were met with hexes and curses. Peter figured that the Slytherins' responsible for the broom tampering were attacking to hinder James' and Sirius' progress to clear their names. The other Slytherins were attacking in what they thought was retaliation for James and Sirius jinxing brooms.

"Be quiet! Someone's coming!" Remus whispered, nursing a rapidly darkening black eye from a misaimed curse from one of the Slytherins. Both James and Sirius had apologized profusely for dragging him into the whole thing, and had since gone after the Slytherins with even more determination. Peter tried to inconspicuously crane his neck around Sirius' body to see out into the hallway.

Sure enough, walking down the hallway, their heads held high with self-importance were the two Slytherin beaters. They were moving quickly, coming from the Slytherin common room. They were obviously headed somewhere, and most likely late based on the speed with which they were making their way through the halls. This peaked Peter's attention, and the others obviously felt the same.

All four boys began squirming around behind the suit of armour, trying to get a better look at the pair in the hallway. However, their slight tussling over spots led to Peter stepping, and putting all of his weight down, on James' foot. The messy haired boy inhaled sharply. Despite his attempted to do so quietly, the two Slytherins heard the sound. They stopped in front of the suit of armour and looked at it quizzically.

"Did the armour just whistle?" the beater with short brown chopped hair, a big nose, and very crooked teeth asked, turning to his friend.

"Can't be! It ain't alive," the other beater, who had ear length blonde hair, beady black eyes, and a narrow face, responded.

"I heard it!" the first beater exclaimed. Wanting to prove the other boy that he wasn't an idiot or crazy, the first beater stepped closer to the suit and began squinting at it. His eyes suddenly widened as he saw Peter's terrified face behind the suit.

"There's someone back there!" he shouted before pulling out his wand and blasting the suit of armour to pieces. Peter, along with James and Sirius came spilling out from their hiding spot. Remus, somehow, managed to stay on his feet.

"It's the first years what cursed our brooms!" the second beater angrily shouted, grabbing for his wand. James, Sirius, and Peter quickly scrambled to their feet and turned down the hallway. The four boys ran as fast as they could down the hallway away from the Slytherins. They knew, as soon as the Slytherins' had discovered them, that curses and jinxes would soon befall them.

As Peter ran, curses went off over his head, creating small holes in the castle walls and sending off small explosions in the air. Peter was beginning to question how either one of them had gotten onto the Quidditch team because their aim was terrible! Put together, the four first years were a fairly large target, and yet, not one single spell had made contact with any of the boys. They all went wide and hit the walls or were shot too high over their heads.

The four rounded a corner and, as Peter placed his hand on the wall to steady himself, fell through an intricate tapestry. The other three quickly noticed Peter's disappearance and halted their escape. They quickly doubled back and, only seconds later with a still stunned Peter lying on his back in a small, dark alcove, pulled aside the tapestry. Light instantly shot into the alcove, showing that it went behind Peter quite a ways.

A pleased smile crossed James' face as he, Remus, and Sirius stepped into the secret passageway. He let the tapestry fall behind him, closing the passageway to the outside hallway. Just as the tapestry stopped moving, the hurried footfalls of the Slytherins' passed by. They didn't stop or slow, but barrelled on through the now empty hallway.

"Brilliant, Peter! Absolutely brilliant! Discovering a new secret passageway just in the nick of time! Genius move! Probably saved our behinds!" James enthused once the footfalls had faded away. Peter absolutely beamed at the praise levelled on him. For what felt like the first time, Peter truly felt he'd contributed.

"I'll add this one to the others when we get back to the common room," Remus added. Peter figured James must have prompted Remus in some way for this response. However, in the dark, Peter couldn't be entirely sure. "Now I think with our cover blown, as they say, we should head back to the common room and get some schoolwork done."

Always the practical one, Remus once again suggested a cessation of the more dangerous activity and a turn toward a safer option. Peter, a little rattled by the close call, readily agreed with Remus' suggestion. Peter was a lot less likely to be chased and cursed in the Gryffindor common room than while out observing Slytherin's for suspicious behaviour. However, Peter had just made a contribution to his friends and James was extremely pleased; Peter wasn't about to jeopardize his favourable position with James and Sirius by voicing agreement with a potentially unfavourable option.

"Sounds like a good idea. I've still got about an inch on that paper McGonagall set a week ago. I really should get it done," James spoke in mild agreement, not too enthusiastic about giving up their adventure in Slytherin espionage, but recognizing the validity of Remus' statement. Sirius concurred with a nod. Having gotten confirmation that his agreeing with Remus wouldn't threaten his position, Peter also likewise agreed.

The four carefully picked their way through the hallway, curious about where it led, before eventually returning to their Gryffindor common room and their work that awaited them.

* * *

Remus and Peter sat at a fairly large table in the Gryffindor common room. It had been nearly a month since the disastrous Gryffindor-Hufflepuff game. James and Sirius still hadn't been returned their wands, and the pair had gone that day to complain to Professor McGonagall. Surely, after a month's worth of investigation their wands should have either cleared them, or produced evidence of their guilt. Either way, the boys should have heard something about it and, at the very least they figured, had their wands returned.

They'd gone to plead their case, plead that going wandless was hampering their magical education. This left Peter and Remus alone in the Gryffindor common room. They'd been tasked, both through self-instruction and by James and Sirius, to continue to work on their plan to track and capture the Slytherins. The large table the two sat as was covered in various papers dedicated to this purpose.

In the few weeks since the Slytherin beaters had chased them, the boys had been slowly adapting their plan. Through the time they'd been searching for the kitchens at Halloween to now, where they were chased through hallways and luckily escaped into hidden passageways, the quartet had located quite a few secret ways throughout the castle. Remus had carefully recorded the location of each and they now planned to use them to more secretly move through the castle and follow the Slytherins in the hopes of finding any and all evidence that would prove James' and Sirius' innocence.

"We could then duck in here and watch until they turn off or reach the end of the hallways. It gives us really good sight lines," Remus spoke thoughtfully, pointing at the very hidden passageway Peter had discovered by accident.

"You know," a voice called out from across the common room. Peter and Remus swivelled to look and saw James and Sirius making their way across the busy area. Neither looked happy or triumphant; Peter guessed they hadn't convinced McGonagall to give them back their wands.

"Know what?" Remus responded in kind once the pair had drawn near. James comfortably collapsed into an armchair and put his feet up on the one corner of the table not taken up by paperwork. Sirius took the remaining seat, hanging his head over the back in frustration.

"I've been thinking about this for quite a while. We've been trying to inconspicuously follow the Slytherin's to see where they go to meet up and talk about their broom tampering. However, we have yet to be successful because we always get caught. If we could come up with some sort of tracking spell we could follow them from a distance and then come upon them at their final destination. You know any spell like that, Remus?" James turned to his friend awaiting Remus' response.

"Can't think of anything," the sandy haired boy said after a moment of thoughtful pause. "But there might be something about it in the library. I could go look and see what I find." Remus then stood from the table. James would want answers to his musings as soon as possible. Wanting to continue his helpfulness, Peter stood as well and scurried off after Remus. James and Sirius remained lounging around the table.

"Thanks for tagging along, Peter," Remus smiled down at Peter. "It'll make the search go a lot faster." The two boys then walked through the hallways in silence, neither having anything further to say.


	18. Chapter 17: Another Brick in the Wall

_All in all you're just another brick in the wall_

 _~Pink Floyd_

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen**

 **Hit Another Brick in the Wall**

* * *

It seemed, to the casual observer, that Remus Lupin lived in the library. He apparently only left for classes and to eat food. He'd set up his books and papers at a table in the library and never seemed to move from it. James, Sirius, and Peter would often join the skinny boy in the library. It wasn't near exam time yet, so the residency in the library seemed a little strange to some, but they mostly left him alone.

What they didn't know was that Remus was only doing classwork about 40% of the time. The rest of the time, the bulk of it, was spent trying to figure out the task James had set him. There had to be some sort of tracking spell, something that you could inconspicuously cast onto someone and then somehow follow his or her movements. Surely, the aurors and other magical law enforcement entities had come up with something.

However, Remus had scanned, read, and looked up almost every book in the library and he had come up with nothing. He'd even gone as far as asking the librarian, an old, crotchety man named Fitzhew Herbert, if he had any idea of such a spell, or a volume that may talk of something. The librarian had claimed not to know anything, but a strange glint in Herbert's eye made Remus suspicious.

In his hunt, Remus and Peter began spending a lot of time together. James and Sirius, despite their lack of wands, were often busy with antagonizing Snape and pulling small pranks with joke shop objects that the boys ordered through the owl post. The two also spent more and more time trying to follow the Slytherins to minimal results. Peter, for whatever reason, chose to help Remus in the relative safety of the library instead of facing potential hexes from both Snape and the older Slytherins.

Because of their newfound closeness, Remus was able to pick up on some of the more discreet aspects of Peter's personality. He seemed to jump at the slightest noise, like someone loudly closing his or her book or a loud argument from elsewhere in the library. It wasn't as obvious when James and Sirius were around, as if Peter were putting on a brave face in front of the loud, brash pair. But when he was alone with the quieter Remus, he was less concerned about the more skittish side of him.

It had always intrigued Remus, why Peter seemed so scared of innocuous things, but the sandy haired boy had never thought of probing. Remus was the king of keeping distance and he understood better than nearly everyone else that some people's secrets should not be revealed. However, the more time he spent with Peter, helping him improve his schoolwork and looking for something to track the Slytherin's with, Remus felt his curiosity and sympathy growing. Maybe there was something worrying Peter and maybe Remus could help.

Then, one day about three weeks after the fateful game, Remus was left alone with Peter. They were in the library at the table that Remus always seemed to be able to get. James and Sirius had been caught laying down a tracking powder in front of the Slytherin common room, and believing they were pranking, were given a detention by Professor Strinkley. They wouldn't be back for several hours. This was Remus' opportunity to confront Peter about his odd behaviour.

Gathering his courage, Remus put down his quill and moved his Herbology textbook away from him. He then looked up at Peter. The other boy had his nose buried in a book, trying to figure out what had gone wrong with his levitation charm. He was muttering about the proper pronunciation of the incantation. Remus cleared his throat, and then began to speak.

"Is everything alright?" he asked. Peter looked up, blinking a few times as he focused on the world outside of his book.

"I think so," Peter responded, "I was putting the emphasis wrong. It's Levi-O-sa, not Levio-SA." At his friend's words, Remus realised his mistake and cursed in his head. His question had been far too vague. Peter had assumed that Remus had been asking about the problem at hand, the issue with the spell, and not the larger problem that was causing Peter to be so edgy.

"I didn't mean okay with your levitation charm. I've noticed that occasionally, especially if you hear a loud noise, you jump like you're afraid of something. I was wondering why, if you were okay." Remus then gave Peter as sympathetic a look as possible, hoping that it would encourage Peter to open up. Peter wouldn't look him in the eye, which only confirmed Remus' suspicions. He pressed on.

"If there is something going on, or if something happened, maybe I could help. If you just tell me what happened, I could come up with some suggestions for you. Some things you could do to help the situation." Again Remus hoped he could convince Peter to open up. Playing the helpful friend, combined with the sympathetic look, should hopefully be enough.

Several seconds passed, but eventually Peter took in a deep breath and exhaled loudly. Then he raised his hung head and looked Remus in the eye. His face was a mixture of emotions, clearly portraying an inner conflict that was waging within him. Remus could identify relief, along with sadness, concern, and worry. The rest all meshed together in an unclear blur of emotions.

"It's nothing really. At least, nothing you could help with. It's my own problem. Thanks for the offer though," Peter looked down at his hands as he spoke. He was then quiet for a few more seconds before he looked up again, "Well, you could help me figure out this levitating charm, and some of my other school work. It would actually help a lot if you did."

Peter looked sheepishly at his friend. It was obvious that he was awkward in asking for the favour. Remus was thoughtful for a few seconds. Had he been James, he would have pushed Peter farther. James would never have accepted the 'it's my own problem,' explanation. But Remus was different, much different. He knew the desire to keep a secret, to keep certain aspects of his life from those around him. Remus let Peter keep his secret and smiled warmly down at his friend.

"Of course I can. Show me how you've been doing the spell so far."

* * *

James and Sirius walked through the hallways. They were absolutely deserted on account of the fact that it was nearly an hour after curfew. However, neither of the boys was worried about getting caught. That was one of the perks of serving detention with Professor Slughorn; he had so many stories of his trophy students that their detentions always ran late. Thus, they were essentially granted a free pass to roam the hallways late at night.

That particular detention had been the result of yet another disastrous attempt to follow the Slytherins. The pair had been trying to rig the suit of armour outside of the Slytherin common room to inconspicuously shoot tracking powder, a joke shop item they'd bought through a catalogue and the closest they'd gotten to a tracking spell, at the passing Slytherins. However, when Professor Slughorn had walked upon the pair, it looked as if they were vandalizing school property and they promptly received their twentieth detention of their first year at school.

Normally, they'd spend their free time post-Slughorn detention searching out new passageways, but today, neither was feeling up to any adventures. Both James and Sirius were feeling defeated. They hadn't gotten anywhere with the Slytherins, hadn't even located where they were meeting. To top it all off, they still hadn't gotten their wands back. It had been almost a month since they'd been taken and the two boys were starting to wonder if they'd ever get them back.

As a result, James and Sirius were making their way directly back to the common rooms. Their heads were dejectedly hung low and they dragged their feet. All in all, they were a sad looking pair.

For once, they hadn't been up to anything, simply trying to get back to their doom room. That was why they were taken aback, and a little angry and upset, when Professor McGonagall called out to them. She'd been standing in the doorway, hidden from those in the hallway until they were right on her. McGonagall's voice wasn't uncharacteristically stern or disciplinarian, but it still put James on edge.

'What is it this time?' he thought to himself, slowly making his way closer to the Professor. He was very quickly reaching the end of his rope and if one more negative thing happened, one more thing went against him, he was certain he'd explode. His belief in a fair universe was rapidly eroding and it was getting quite devastating and demoralizing.

Finally, he and Sirius stood right in front of McGonagall. As they looked up at her, the despair that they were feeling was clearly expressed on their faces. This sight seemed to soften Professor McGonagall, as her normally stern expression was replaced with a compassionate, caring one. Her normally angular face changed as her expression did and, for a split second, James couldn't help but see his mother in Professor McGonagall's face. Maybe there was more to the head of Gryffindor than rules.

"I have some good news for you boys. Your wands have been thoroughly investigated and have been found to not contain a single trace of the spells that were placed on either the Hufflepuff or Gryffindor brooms. You have, thus, been cleared of all suspicion. I want to be the first to apologize to you for putting you through this. I would much rather believe the best in you. Maybe you could try and make it so it is not so easy to think that you two are responsible for malignant acts." Professor McGonagall spoke not as a professor scolding her pupils for their misbehaviour, but as a concerned parent, trying to offer her trying and difficult children some motherly advice to help them succeed in life.

"Here," Professor McGonagall continued, turning and reaching into the room behind her to retrieve something, "are your wands back. Your professors have been informed of this change and will stop providing you with theoretical work. If you find you have fallen behind in your practical magic abilities, all of your professors have agreed to provide you with evening tutoring to bring your magic back up to where it should be. Though, from what I've seen, I have little doubt that you will face any problems." At her last statement, Professor McGonagall seemed to beam a little with pride at her students' abilities.

James and Sirius stood still for several moments, shocked at what they had heard. They'd been expecting some sort of reaming out over some trouble they'd been suspected in. They hadn't thought that Professor McGonagall would be returning their wands and clearing their names. It was quite the shock to them.

"Well, hurry along now. You may have the free pass that a detention with Professor Slughorn provides, but you wouldn't want to take your recently cleared names and besmirch them with misbehaviour. Best you be off to bed as quickly as possible." She then shot the boys a look telling them they should leave her presence post haste to avoid actually getting themselves in trouble.

James and Sirius shook off their shock and quickly snatched back their wands. They then turned and hurried down the hallway. Their previously cloudy mood had quickly dissipated and both boys were now eager to get back to their normal hijinks.

* * *

James' and Sirius' eager and excited mood did not last long. The joy at having their wands returned to them was quickly replaced with frustration at not making progress in discovering where the Slytherins were meeting or what they were up to. While the boys had been cleared in the eyes of the Hogwarts staff, the student body still firmly believed that James and Sirius had played at least some roll in the broom tampering. Only by revealing the real perpetrators would James and Sirius truly clear their reputations and return their good, prankster king names.

All four boys, most likely based on the clearly exhibited magical prowess of James and Sirius, had believed that once the two had their wands returned to them, they would all finally be able to achieve something; they'd be able to find a clue or discover a spell that would solve their problems. They'd all believed that their lack of progress had been because they'd been handicapped, their two best practical magicians unable to perform any magic at all.

However, that was definitely not the case. Even with their wands, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were still at the exact same position they'd been before.

The dejection they were all feeling was clearly expressed one night in late March. The four were sitting at their table in the library, though that night, unlike the previous nights, the table was completely empty. Remus hadn't felt like setting out the work; he'd spent so much time staring at it all that the entire contents were seared into his brain. But more than that, he wanted to give up on their, for lack of a better word, quest.

"You've been cleared of suspicion by the professors. There is an extremely low chance that you'll get in trouble and face any repercussions from it. Finding out what role the Slytherins, and especially Warrington and Professor Strinkley, had in all of it is sort of pointless. Plus, I'm sure the professors won't stop looking into it all, and they will find out who really jinxed the brooms. We don't need to be doing anything!" Remus exclaimed. He was trying to keep his voice down, not wanting anyone else to overhear him, but his frustration was making it difficult. Despite all his research there wasn't a single tracking spell contained in a single book at Hogwarts, at least not one that didn't require seventh year magical abilities to even attempt.

"The professors don't believe we did it, Remus, but everyone else at this school does! We may not be facing any official repercussions, but we are facing angry Slytherins, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors! And those repercussions can be much, much worse!" James returned Remus' exclamation. For his part, James was not trying in the slightest to quiet his voice.

"They do know some nasty hexes," Peter piped up. He looked white as a sheet, obviously nervous about being caught in between James on one side and Remus on the other. He hadn't yet picked a side in the argument, but the prospect of having to do so was causing him quite a large amount of distress.

"That may be true Peter," Remus replied, "but we've spent far too long on this. We need to move on! Focus on our schoolwork. James and Sirius are already behind because they've missed a month of practicing. That should be out main concern. Exams will be on us before we know it!"

James didn't respond immediately. Instead, he turned to Sirius who had been sitting quietly on the sidelines during the disagreement. "What do you think Sirius? What should we do?" James asked his friend, hoping he knew what the longhaired boy would say. Surely Sirius would be on James' side.

Sirius took a moment before thoughtfully responding. "We have been spending a lot of time on something that has yet to provide us with even a small result. If we do something epic, similar to Halloween, then that could change what people think of us. We'd be known for our good pranks instead of the brooms. You had that epic prank planned before the Quidditch game." James felt crestfallen at his friend's response.

"That being said, though," Sirius continued, "I really don't want to leave the Slytherins alone. They should pay for what they've done. At the very least they should pay for causing James and me to have our wands taken away. I'm not sure what we should do next."

James was quiet for quite a while, contemplating all that his friends had been saying. They had put in a month and a half's work on the project and were yet to have any achievements at all. His friends' frustrations were perfectly understandable. But James still desperately wanted answers to it all, and wanted to clear is name in the eyes of every one who had ever doubted him.

"How about a compromise?" he suggested, "let's keep at it until the first of April, right after my birthday. That's only a little over a week away. If we haven't gotten anywhere by then, we can forget about the Slytherins and we can put on that prank for April Fool's Day. I have a feeling that we're really close to a breakthrough."

The others were quiet, but eventually agreed to James' compromise. James knew that his birthday, always an exceptionally good day for him, would bring something that would turn their luck around and finally see the success of his attempts to reveal Slytherin's treachery.

"Okay," Sirius responded, "We can work on both the prank and the Slytherins. Maybe I can ask Moira if she knows anything. She is one of the only Slytherins who will talk to us. It's possible she knows something. It's worth a shot."

"I can wait until April!" Peter squeaked, glad that he could finally pick a side. All eyes then turned to Remus.

"I guess we could wait until April. See if we can get anywhere. But I think we should give up on a tracking spell. I just can't find anything that we could conceivably pull off. There might be a book at a bookstore or something, but without access to anything I just don't know where else to look."

James smiled sympathetically at his friend. Remus really did look frustrated and stressed out about the tracking spell.

"Deal. We work until April, but not on the tracking spell!"


	19. Chapter 18: Happy Birthday, James

_It takes a long time to grow young_

 _~Pablo Picasso_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Three**

 **Happy Birthday, Jamie Darling**

* * *

Sirius tried to act as inconspicuously as possible. He'd promised that he'd at least try this and, up to that point, he hadn't been very successful. How was he to know that Moira Scott, who'd been essentially alone when they'd boarded the boats on the night of the sorting, would make friends with every other female Slytherin first year and never be alone? He'd tried several times to talk to her about what some of the older Slytherins were up to, but he felt it would be a conversation best had just the two of them.

Finally, about a week into his small quest, Sirius got a moment in which Moira was left alone. Too bad that it happened to be during Defence Against the Dark Arts. Moira had already mastered her shield charm and had been assigned dark creature identification while her friends continued to practice the charm. Sirius and James, likewise, had mastered their shield charms and were working on the same project. If there was ever a moment to try and talk to Moira alone, this was the moment.

Except for Professor Strinkley. He seemed to have a thing against positive interactions between Slytherins and Gryffindors and had insisted they sit on opposite sides of the classroom and not talk to each other. In any other class, it would have been simple enough to appear as if he were consulting a fellow classmate on an assignment, but not in Defence Against the Dark Arts. If Sirius were going to accomplish this, he would have to be extremely stealthy.

Slowly, every time Professor Strinkley looked away or focused on other students, Sirius inched his way closer and closer to where Moira was sitting. It took him most of the class, but with five minutes before the end, he finally sat beside the dark haired girl.

"You shouldn't be here," Moira spoke as soon as his butt hit the chair. She didn't look up from her book and parchment as she spoke.

"I need a favour," Sirius whispered, ignoring the warning. He'd made it all the way over here without really being noticed. He could go a few more minutes.

"What makes you think I'd be willing to help you? You've made it quite clear what your opinion of Slytherins is." This time, Moira looked up and stared Sirius right in the eye. Her brown eyes held a challenge in them and almost made Sirius back down.

"I'll owe you, something equal to the favour I'm asking of you. And I don't hate all Slytherins. Just those that deserve it." Sirius responded. He felt like he didn't have a lot of time left before Strinkley finally realised what he was doing. So, instead of continuing to playfully argue with the Slytherin girl, he quickly scribbled down a location and time and then bolted back across the classroom and returned to his spot beside James just as the professor turned to look at Moira.

* * *

On the morning of March 27, James bolted awake and jumped out of bed. It was still early in the morning; he had nearly an hour before breakfast was even served. James always woke early on his birthday, excited about what the day would bring, and this birthday, his twelfth, was no different than any other. This would be the day when something would happen that would change his fortunes and turn the whole reconnaissance mission on it's head.

He quietly, yet quickly, clambered out of bed. Stacked in a neat pile atop his large streamer trunk he kept at the foot of his bed were several gifts. James figured that the Hogwarts house elves must have collected them from the owl post as they'd been delivered and then brought them into his dorm room that night as he slept. There were gifts from his parents, from family friends, and even three gifts, one each, from his friends.

Eagerly, James began ripping into the colourful paper, desperate to find out what was contained within. He got several books, on topics from Quidditch to helpful jinxes, from family friends. His mother sent him some new clothes and a large package of homemade treats and goodies. His father sent him a new, top of the line broom servicing kit. Finally, his friends had ordered several small magical pranking objects from Zonkos. All in all, it was a good haul and James was extremely pleased with the lot.

He was in the middle of storing his new presents in his trunk when the three other inhabitants of the dorm room awoke. James opened a bag of his mother's gooey chocolate chip cookies and shared them with his friends.

"Happy birthday!" Sirius shouted, jumping around the room and waving his hands around like a crazy person. James latched his arm around his friend's shoulder, halting his harried progress around the room.

"Thanks, mate. How about we go get some breakfast. My mum mentioned something about a cake and it'll probably come in the post today." James then dragged Sirius out of the room and down the stairs. Remus and Peter followed quickly after them.

* * *

"Just give it one more try!" James pleaded with Sirius and Remus as the foursome made their way back to Gryffindor common room. It had been quite a day, and James was riding high on the wave of good fortune. He'd excelled in all his classes; even mastering the transfiguration spell he'd been struggling to get for weeks. He'd found a sickle someone had dropped on his way to Herbology that afternoon. Now, the stairs they'd been trying to climb moved halfway through their ascent, ending up in the direction of the Slytherin common room instead of Gryffindor.

"We haven't gotten anywhere and it's been months! One more night isn't going to help us!" Sirius groaned, frustrated. James wasn't sure if the frustration was directed directly at him, at the situation, or at a combination of the two.

"It won't hurt us," James reasoned. He made his tone sound as sad and forlorn as possible and levelled his friends with the saddest expression he could muster. Sirius seemed to soften slightly at James' expression. It was now time to strike.

"Plus" James spoke, trying to keep the sense of accomplishment out of his voice, "today is my birthday and a good friend would do whatever their friend wanted when it was their birthday. I just have this feeling that something good will happen today. My birthdays are always good days where the best things happen to me. I've already mastered that transfiguration spell I've been struggling with. I think the same energy or whatever will transfer to this whole thing with trying to follow the Slytherins. I can just feel it." James finished his speech, hoping he'd been using his most convincing tone, and stared Sirius down. If James could convince Sirius to go along, then Peter would definitely join in. Even if Remus were opposed, the three of them would be enough to surveil and track.

"Fine!" Sirius finally relented, "one more time, but unless something changes this will be the last time. We really need to move on from this, though, James. We're basically running around in circles. Let's just get back at the Slytherins directly, proof or no proof."

James nodded, acknowledging Sirius words and concerns. However, only a second later, he turned down the hallway and whooped in victory. He leaped into the air and thrust his fist towards the ceiling as the sound escaped his mouth. Sirius chuckled at his friend's display of emotion, and quickly moved to catch up with James. Peter followed almost directly on Sirius' heel and, after a few seconds, and quite a bit of mumbling and groaning, Remus joined in.

When the quartet arrived at the corridor outside the Slytherin common room, they quickly found a spot to hide in their secret passageway covered with a tapestry. None of the Slytherins had discovered them there yet, so they continued returning. Other hiding spots of theirs had been found out and now, whenever suspicious Slytherins walked passed them, like the suit of armour the beaters had spotted them behind, the Slytherins would carefully and thoroughly search the area for any trace of the Gryffindors. The area behind the tapestry was still a safe place for their observations.

However, almost as soon as the tapestry stopped moving, initially being swayed as the boys walked in behind it, an arm reached from around the tapestry. The large stocky body of the Slytherin Quidditch Captain and Seeker Alectus Warrington then quickly followed the arm. He had a gleeful, almost psychotic-looking, smile on his face as he looked down on the petrified first years.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? Four extremely annoying, terribly nosey first years who just can't seem to leave well enough alone. I heard you've been cleared of the broom tamperings. Why would you want to put yourselves out there to have the suspicions reignited? After all, the insinuation of the four of you hanging around the victimized Slytherins after being cleared, could be that you now think yourselves invincible and are coming back to re-victimize us." Warrington stared each of them down as he threated them. James, his hackles raised at the threat, stared right back.

"We know it was you, Warrington. And we're going to find the evidence to prove it, so watch your backs!" James then turned on his heel and marched off down the passageway, upset that things had gone awry once again. His perfect birthday record had been shattered in the quickest of moments.

Suddenly, something smacked him in the back of his head. A warmth began to spread and James quickly clued in to what had happened. As James had left, Warrington, in a truly cowardly act, had sent some sort of jinx at James. The messy haired boy turned around and, in the same fluid motion, drew his wand. He was all ready to duel it out with Warrington, but what he saw at the entrance to the passageway stopped him for a moment.

Warrington was no longer alone. In the seconds that James had been walking away nearly every member of the Slytherin Quidditch team had joined their captain. James may have been able to hold his own against Warrington by himself, but he stood next to no chance against Warrington and a half a dozen or so Slytherins.

"Too much of a coward to fight us on your own?" Sirius taunted, though James could see a slight hesitation on his friend's face. Instead of responding, the gathered Slytherins simply began casting curses at the four first years. In the small area, most of the curses hit their targets. Luckily, they were realtively harmless, like jelly leg jinxes and bat bogey hexes. James, however, didn't want to sit around and wait until the older boys began casting more menacing curses.

"Run!" he shouted at his friends, drawing his wand, ready to defend their retreat. Sirius, not heeding his friend's plea, stood beside James with his wand drawn. The two first years began battling with the Slytherins, all the while slowly making their way back up the pathway towards the second exit. When the four of them reached the wider hallway, they took off and kept running until they were just outside the Gryffindor common room. James, concerned about what curses and dark magic the older Slytherins might know, had run flat out the entire time. Once he arrived outside the Gryffindor common room he doubled over in exhaustion.

"Uh, James," the apprehensive, and slightly winded, voice of Remus spoke from behind the bent over boy. After a few seconds, in which James attempted to catch his breath, James stood. He only saw Remus and Peter, but heard heavy breathing from behind him, indicating that they'd all made it out.

"What, Remus?" James asked, a little annoyed that Remus would take this moment for an I-told-you-so. The other boy wouldn't look in the eye, instead focusing on his hairline.

"Your hair is, uh, red. Kinda looks like your head is on fire," Remus spoke, pointing to the top of James' head. The messy haired boy quickly took off again, this time looking for a bathroom instead of an escape route. James found one a few meters down the hallway and entered it, hoping Remus had been playing some very poor tasting joke.

He walked up to the mirror, and yelled out in frustration. His hair was, indeed, bright red. Warrington's curse, the one that had hit James in the back of the head while he had been walking away, had transfigured his hair red. And worst of all, James wouldn't learn human transfiguration for another several years. His hair would be stuck this ridiculous shade until either the curse wore off, or someone took pity on him and transfigured his hair back to normal. With the current state of the public opinion in regards to him so low, James wasn't banking on any pity.

James let out a second frustrated sigh and, just as he did so, Sirius rushed into the bathroom alongside James. The dark haired boy was in even worse shape than James. One curse that had hit him had enlarged his ears and nose.

'Worst birthday ever,' James thought as he and his best friend took in the state of each other.

* * *

"No, James. We're done," Sirius spoke, sounding exhausted. He was leaning against his bedpost, his head hung low so his long hair fell in front of his face. Despite his relatively calm stance, the repeated clenching and unclenching of his fists made his agitation clear. Remus and Peter were sitting on one bed, part of the disagreement but trying their best to remain out of it. James was anxiously pacing the floor of the dorm room.

"There's still a few days until April. There's still time for us to find something or for something helpful to happen. We can't give up now!" At the end of his sentence, James turned to face Sirius, hoping to change his best friend's mind.

"James," Remus piped up. He hadn't wanted to be a part of the argument, but seeing his friend spin in circles, Remus felt he needed to inject some logic into the situation. "They jinxed your hair red! I still haven't figured out a way to turn it back, and we don't know how long the spell will last. Going back up against the Slytherin will only end badly."

"It's not that bad. In fact, I think I look quite dashing." James responded. He stopped his pacing to turn and look at himself in the mirror. He hoped that by cracking a joke he could lighten the mood some. This was the first real argument he and Sirius ever had and he was quickly coming to dislike the whole thing. He wanted to end it. He wanted to stop arguing and focus on something else.

At James' comment, Sirius' shoulders slumped and he exhaled deeply. It was evident that James' comment had disarmed him a little; he had ceased clenching his fists. Some of the anger and tension in the room dissipated. James breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm just- I'm just tired of being the victim, James," Sirius spoke, "I don't want to be the target, I want to be the one targeting. I want to get back to pranking. We've already spent far too long on this. It's time for us to move on," Sirius looked at his friend imploringly. James wanted to agree with his friend, but he also wanted answers. It was a difficult choice to make especially when he felt so close to a resolution with the broom tampering, and so he lapsed into quiet, not contemplation really, more like agonizing choice-making.

Silence quickly filled the room. James stood rooted in place, in the middle of the dorm room, staring down at his feet. Sirius was still leaning against his bed. Peter and Remus remained seated on the bed. All three of them, concern and questioning clearly on their faces, stared at James.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The sound echoed throughout the nearly silent room. All four boys' heads snapped towards one of the large windows that ringed the room. Sitting on the sill, tapping gently on the window, was regal looking owl. Clenched in its claws was a neatly wrapped package. James instantly recognized the owl and quickly moved to open the glass. The owl then hopped inside and deposited the package on James' bed.

"Another present?" Peter asked, breaking the silence. The group had gone from staring at James to staring at the owl without saying a single word. James moved towards his bed, quickly gaining excitement.

"Yeah. From my dad. I don't know why he waited and didn't send it with the others. Also, he already got me a gift. Maybe he forgot he sent me something already…" James' musings died off as he began to rip into the package. A piece of parchment fell to the floor as James reached into the package and pulled out an old cloak.

"No way!" James exclaimed, his voice barely more than a whisper. He held the cloak up, examining it as it unfolded. Remus grabbed the parchment and began to read it.

 _Dearest James,_

 _I know I already got you a gift, but I don't really consider this one a gift. It had been passed from father to son for generations. So, this isn't so much me giving you a birthday gift as me presenting you with something that is already yours._

 _Use it wisely, and try to stay out of trouble._

 _Love you,_

 _Dad_

Remus looked up from the letter.

"Your family passes along a cloak?" he asked, obviously believing it to be some weird pureblood ritual and glad that his family didn't partake in such strange things. James just looked up at his friends, a smug expression on his face. He then wrapped the cloak around his shoulders.

"It's so much more than simply just a cloak. This is the answer to all of our problems," the floating head of James spoke.


	20. Chapter 19: Progress, For Merlin

_He, who moves not forward, goes backward_

 _~Goethe_

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen**

 **Progress, For Merlin's Sake**

* * *

There was a new buzz that hummed amongst the four Gryffindor first years. Sirius, especially, had a new, pronounced spring in his step. Only hours before Sirius had been feeling the sting of defeats that his friends and he had experienced; so much so that Sirius had been absolutely willing to turn his back on one of the only people he'd met that he didn't despise. James' positivity and optimism, his willingness to keep going back to the master that did nothing but beat him, had really started to rankle the young Black. Sirius was no masochist and could only take so much self-induced flagellation before he gave up.

And then, James' magical cloak had arrived. Like a sign from God, or the Universe, or what have you. Instantly, Sirius, Peter, and even Remus had changed their disposition. They now had hope. They now had a chance. They now had a tool that would keep them from being spotted and discovered by the eagle-eyed Slytherins. They now had something that would allow them to finally get answers.

They boys had all agreed that the hour had been too late for anything productive the night before. The next night, the one now only a few hours away, would be their best opportunity to see exactly how well the cloak worked. Then it would be time to find and follow the Slytherins, discover proof of their involvement in the broom tampering scandal, and completely clear their own names of any suspicions.

All Sirius, and the others, had to do until then was attend several classes that seemed relatively insignificant at present. Sirius was finding it quite difficult.

"Don't you think, Mr. Black?" the agitated voice of Professor McGonagall spoke. It was significantly closer than Sirius had been expecting and, when he turned and found her standing over him, he nearly jumped out of his skin. The last awareness of Professor McGonagall's position that Sirius had was of her standing in front of the class, lecturing about some aspect of transfiguration.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Sirius responded after he recollected himself, "I missed what you said. I was regrettably distracted." He smiled up at Professor McGonagall, using his best impressing expression in an attempt to avoid any forthcoming professorial wrath.

"I said, 'this is a good time to get practicing. Don't you think, Mr. Black?' After all, I dismissed everyone else to work about five minutes ago." Professor McGonagall levelled Sirius with a stern look and the boy sheepishly slunk away. He'd been so consumed by his daydreams about his upcoming adventures that he had missed the entirety of Professor McGonagall's lecture, her instructions on the spell, and then the movements of his fellow classmates as they recollected themselves for their practice. And James had let it all happen.

"You could have nudged me out of my thoughts or something, James! Instead of, you know, leaving me just sitting their like a git asking for trouble," Sirius grumbled as he joined his friends and their attempts to turn small hedgehogs into pin cushions. James chuckled at his friend.

"I tried mate; you were _long_ gone. I'd have had to yell, or like stomp with all my might on your foot. And both of those options would have caused far too much ruckus. What had you so consumed anyway?" James responded. Sirius returned James' chuckle.

"Oh, just some of the things we'll be getting up to tonight."

* * *

"Slower. The bottom is being kicked up. There's not a lot of good being invisible if our feet are showing!" Remus scolded. The four Gryffindor males had been hurrying along the deserted hallways, hidden under James' new invisibility cloak. They were out, well past curfew, testing exactly how invisible the cloak was. If they could get by without a prefect of professor noticing them, they would be able to follow the Slytherins without a problem. They didn't have a particular goal in mind, a particular destination; they were just aimlessly wandering around to see how well the invisibility cloak worked.

"Okay, slow down a little," James spoke. Sirius, following nearly directly on his friend's heels, followed the orders and slowed down to a crawling pace. Images of all the mischief the four boys would get up to once they'd successfully completed their current mission ran through Sirius' mind. However, if they were caught on this first outing, their highly prohibited invisibility cloak likely to be confiscated, none of what he envisioned would be possible.

Suddenly, the echoing sound of approaching footsteps could be heard throughout the deserted hallway. The four boys froze in place. This, whoever was walking towards them, would be their first test of the cloak. Nerves overtook them and all four held their breaths in anticipation. Then, Mr. Filch, the school's caretaker, appeared from around the corner. Quick on his heel was his ever-present cat.

Not wanting to be found out by the sounds of their movements, the four stood absolutely still and simply waited for Mr. Filch to approach them. As she got closer, Filch's cat Mrs. Norris seemed to sense them. Her lamplight eyes locked onto their position and didn't waiver. She began to meow, getting louder the closer she got, obviously trying to alert her master to their presence. However, for his part, Filch paid them no notice. Always a stickler for rule following, Sirius was certain that if Mr. Filch could see them, he would be relishing in handing out punishments. The fact that he wasn't even acknowledging them, boded very well. They were invisible!

Sirius felt a slight nudge on his right and turned to see James, a plotting look on his face. He made sure that he had Sirius' attention, then turned back to Filch. The man had stopped nearly in front of the quartet and was fighting with Mrs. Norris to get her to keep moving. However, sensing the boys, the cat was refusing to budge. James took the opportunity and, staring directly at Filch, began pulling faces. The other man was completely oblivious.

Stifling the laughter that threatened to explode from within, Sirius joined his friend. Quickly, Peter joined in as well. All three of them made faces underneath the invisibility cloak and Filch was none the wiser. It was all absolutely fantastic!

* * *

Finally, it was the day. Friday. A shorter day for the first years because of their flying lessons. However, the lessons were not a weekly occurrence, leaving the first years with several Friday afternoons a month off. Sirius and James had picked this day, and forced themselves to wait several agonizing days, because it would give them the largest amount of time. Despite their many surveillance attempts, the boys did not know the Slytherin's schedule, didn't know when the few they were really interested in came and went. The more time James and Sirius had to wait and watch, the greater their chances at actually seeing something.

Also, Friday meant they had all weekend to complete any work so they wouldn't get too much further behind if they spent all evening watching the Slytherins. Remus made sure they were very aware of this benefit of waiting until Friday.

As soon as they were dismissed from their last class, the quartet legged it towards the Slytherin common room. A few feet from their target, they slipped into an empty classroom and James pulled out the cloak from his bag. He gave everyone a meaningful look, ensuring they knew the importance of what they were about to do.

"Every one ready? Once we start, there's no backing out. We could be facing some pretty powerful, potentially very dark, hexes and jinxes," James spoke, stroking his hair at the memory of the last time they'd gone up against Warrington and his cronies.

"Yes, but we could also finally get some answers!" Sirius exclaimed before grabbing the cloak and throwing it over himself. The others followed suit and disappeared beneath the fabric. The four then carefully picked their way out into the hallway, not wanting to do anything that could get them discovered. They sat down, just to the side of the armour they'd been forced to hide behind so many times before, and waited for a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team to leave the common room.

The arrival of James' invisibility cloak seemed to be a sort of lightning rod for good luck. Prior to its arrival, the boys had hit wall after wall and gotten absolutely nowhere. Now it seemed like nothing could go wrong. They had basically just sat down and adjusted the invisibility cloak to ensure it covered everything, when none other than Warrington casually walked out of the Slytherin common room. The Slytherin Quidditch captain was most definitely involved in the broom tampering. No one would have gone to the lengths that Warrington had gone to if he weren't involved in the plot in some way.

Sirius had thought that they would at least have to wait until all classes were out for the day, figuring that Warrington and any other important people would still be in class. However, Warrington either had a free period or had simply decided not to attend his final class for the day. Whatever the reason, Warrington was not in class, but headed somewhere, quickly.

As carefully as the thrill and excitement that they may actually be getting somewhere, the four boys stood. Once again, they were lucky in that, despite the very joyful emotions they were experiencing, as they stood they neither made significant sounds to draw attention nor had the invisibility cloak shifted or revealed a single part of the four. Warrington was none the wiser of their presence only feet from him.

Warrington walked leisurely, yet quickly, through the hallways. He would often look over his shoulder, seeing if he was being followed, and made several sharp turns and took meandering routes. All of it only increased the excitement Sirius felt. The way Warrington was acting was definitely a sign that they were onto something.

Finally, Warrington disappeared into a classroom. There were several other students within, all of them Slytherin. Before Warrington arrived, they were all just milling around, waiting for something. Then, as soon as Warrington entered, a much more business-like manner overcame the room. Something was definitely about to happen.

The four had been giving Warrington a fairly wide berth to help further conceal their presence. However, sure that they had reached their final destination, the boys raced to close the gap and get into the classroom. They were mere steps from the door, from finding out what was about to happen, when the door of the classroom closed shut. James hesitantly tried to open the door, but found it locked. The few unlocking charms that the group knew likewise proved ineffective.

They'd been so close.

"Now what?" Sirius asked. Unlike the previous failures and set backs, this one didn't feel quite as upsetting or create the same sense of dejection. In fact, he still felt like there was progress to be made and they were on the right track.

"Something is definitely happening in there!" James exclaimed, "We have to get in! If we find a professor, explain to them what's been going on, maybe we can convince them to help us. A professor could open the door, witness it all, and clear are names in one fell swoop!"

"Excellent!" Sirius agreed, before throwing the cloak off of himself and racing down the hall in search of a professor. Any professor!

* * *

Well. Almost any professor…

* * *

'Why?' Sirius though to himself as he stood behind a corner waiting for his friends to catch up, 'why did the first professor I saw have to be Professor McGonagall? She is definitely not going to want to help us!' The young Black hung his head low and was about to ignore the woman slowly walking down the hallway when James finally caught up. The messy haired boy looked around the corner.

"Excellent!" he spoke to Sirius before calling out, "Professor McGonagall! I'm so glad I found you! There's a rather urgent matter I need your assistance with!" James quickly jogged around the corner and down the hall towards Professor McGonagall. She paused her own progress, waiting for James, and a tired expression briefly flitted across her face.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. How can I help you?" Peter, Remus, and, slowly, Sirius, caught up to James and Professor McGonagall. Everyone looked expectantly at James.

"Well, Professor. We think we know who is actually responsible for jinxing the brooms. And they're meeting in secret right now! Probably discussing their next move! They've locked the door, so we can't know for sure, but if you came and unlocked the door we could show you!"

"And what proof, exactly, do you have to support these accusations?" she asked, looking down at the boys. Sirius knew Professor McGonagall wouldn't believe just their words.

"It's in the locked classroom, Professor," Sirius chimed in. Peter and Remus also added their own pieces, possibly hoping they could reach critical mass and convince McGonagall to go with them.

"If you just come with us we could prove it all to you!"

"Hurry, they may not be there for much longer!"

All the boys continued pleading, often talking over each other. Desperate. They were so close they could taste it and yet it was threatening to slip right through their fingers. They weren't about to give up now.

"Alright! Enough! Enough boys! Take me to this classroom and we'll see if what you are saying is true," Professor McGonagall finally spoke, cutting off the boys. Her tone sounded exhausted, like she'd only agreed to get them out of her hair. However, that fact either escaped James' notice or was overshadowed by the fact that she'd actually said yes. James eagerly marched back through the halls, causing Sirius and the others to jog slightly to keep pace.

When they finally reached the door behind which Sirius was positive Warrington and the others were plotting, the boys stepped aside to allow McGonagall to open the door. She stepped up to the solid oak and pulled out her wand; after observing it for several seconds, she expertly waved her wand around. A few seconds passed and then the door opened of its own accord.

"So everyone needs to make sure they know the playbook, have it essentially memorized by next week's practice. We need to make sure-" Warrington stopped his speech as the door opened. Everyone in the room turned to look.

"Professor McGonagall, can I help you?" Warrington asked, his tone innocent.

"Just checking in on the meeting. It is a little strange to have a door locked during a Quidditch meeting and these boys were concerned." McGonagall stated. As she spoke, she shot Sirius, James, Peter, and Remus a sceptical look. It would appear that they'd interrupted a Quidditch meeting and not some secret illicit broom-tampering meeting.

"Yes, well, with the lengths some people have been going to in order to win Quidditch matches and the cup, we thought we should take precautions. Ensure that no one could learn our strategy and tactics." As he spoke, Warrington seemed to shoot Sirius and James a meaningful look, as if he weren't only talking about Quidditch.

"That's very reasonable. As you were." McGonagall then stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. She turned to four boys in the hallway, levelled them with a truly withering gaze, and walked off. Sirius felt his heart drop. They'd been so close and now, they were back, not where they started, but even further. McGonagall would not easily trust them again and Warrington definitely knew they were looking into him.

Now, they were back at square -50.

* * *

Sirius had one more hope of figuring out the truth about the broom tamperings, and finally being able to move on and execute their next large scale prank. If this didn't work, he wasn't sure what to do. The whole situation with the brooms was starting to look dire and the longhaired boy just wished something, one thing, could go their way.

He carefully slunk through the hallways. It was after dinner, but curfew was still several hours away. However, his careful manoeuvres were because he didn't want to be spotted or followed. He was, after all, in the middle of an espionage-based mission, with double agents and informants. The situation warranted some spy-like behaviour.

Finally, he rounded a corner and came across what appeared to be a dead end. However, Sirius, thanks to his previous explorations, knew that there was a small alcove, big enough for two or three people to stand comfortably, tucked behind the large goblin statute to his right. He swivelled his head around, checking that the coast was clear, before he ducked behind the goblin.

Standing in the dark of the alcove was Moira Scott, his double agent. Because of the lack of light, Sirius couldn't read her expression, but he was beyond giddy at this whole thing. He'd first learned about spies during an escape attempt from his house. He had been sneaking across the garden, hoping to hop the fence and be free before anyone noticed. As he crept though, he was instantly captivated by sounds coming from his neighbour's house. It was some sort of program, explaining about people who had sold secrets and information, and infiltrated the enemy during some recent muggle war. Sirius listened at the fence with rapt attention for nearly an hour before his mother spotted him and scolded him for paying the muggles that lived around them any mind. Sirius' escape attempt had been completely forgotten, but he didn't care. He'd found a new interest, one that his parents definitely wouldn't approve of.

Since then, he'd snuck out several times to visit the muggle library and, procure, (though without a library card it was more like steal) books on spies to further expand his knowledge. And now, he was getting to play spies. But not just the imaginary games he forced his brother to play. This game had actual stakes.

"Okay, Sirius. I'm here. What favour do you want?" Moira asked, a little annoyed that she'd had to give up her evening for this.

"Well, as I'm sure you know, James and I have been accused of the broom tamperings. However, we have fairly good reason to believe that it was in fact the Slytherin Quidditch team that was responsible. So, I was wondering if you had any information about it, seeing as you're on the inside," Sirius looked down at Moira, trying to contain his giddy energy.

"You know," Moira spoke, turning away from Sirius for a moment, "Not all the rumours about Slytherins are true. We aren't all terrible people. Ambition, despite what many people would have you believe, is not a bad trait to have." Sirius let Moira continue on her rant, but he had quickly tuned her out. Maybe not all Slytherins were bad, maybe most of them were perfectly lovely people, but that wasn't what Sirius' experience told him. Every single Slytherin, with Moira being the sole exception, had made him want to punch them in the face.

"Okay, not all Slytherins are bad," Sirius spoke, interrupting Moira's rant. The dark haired girl gave Sirius a withering stare but allowed him to continue. "But Warrington definitely is. He's probably one of the worst Slytherins there is and he's ruining the reputation of the house for everyone else. Help me bring him down, expose his bad deeds, and it will help Slytherin house." Sirius then laid the full power of his exceptional puppy dog eyes on Moira.

The Slytherin girl was silent for several seconds, biting the side of her cheek. She tried not to look at Sirius, feeling the power of his eyes, but she also couldn't seem to look away. After several seconds, she seemed to relent. Her body, which had been closed off and tight before, loosened.

"I don't know anything right now. The upperclassmen aren't real fans of 'ikle firsties' but I can ask around and see what I find. But I'm not making any promises!" Moira looked Sirius right in the eye to ensure he understood her words, before she left the alcove. Sirius remained standing in the dark alcove alone for a few seconds, revealing in the moment.

Finally, some progress, for Merlin's sake!


	21. Chapter 20: Never Give Up

_Energy and persistence conquer all things_

 _~Benjamin Franklin_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty**

 **Never Give Up**

* * *

"Ow, Peter! You just stepped on my finger!" a whisper broke the silence.

"Sorry, Sirius. Just can't seem to get comfortable," Peter responded sheepishly. Sirius seemed to accept his apology because the longhaired boy turned back to looking down the hallway without another word. Peter squirmed around a little more, paying much more attention to where his body parts were in relation to Sirius'. However, nothing seemed to be helping and Peter gave up with a frustrated sigh.

The brown haired boy had never been great with perseverance. If something were difficult, he would try one or two things make one or two attempts, and if he wasn't successful, he's give up. Call it quits. Turn in the towel. And he'd resign himself to the fact that he simply wasn't good at that particular task.

The list of tasks Peter was not good at had grown quite extensive.

Since arriving at school, Peter had put in a little more effort than he would have normally, but he still hadn't really made any progress. Maybe magic was just another thing he'd have to add to his list. Remus especially, but also James and Sirius, had been trying to help Peter, to convince him to keep trying.

Watching James, with his eternal optimism, and Sirius, with his tenacious drive, had inspired Peter to persevere to a much greater extent than he ever would have. Yet, his defeats still kept coming. And, when he would compare himself, and his many failures, to his friends he would find himself extremely lacking. They'd accomplished so much, could easily do so many things; it could be quite demoralizing. Yet, some quality about James and Sirius seemed to give Peter the confidence to not just pack it up and head home, but stick it out and keep trying until he did succeed.

It was that quality that currently had an extremely uncomfortable Peter sitting on a cold stone floor for going on four hours. Nothing of note had happened in those four hours, and Sirius, the other person sitting on the floor, was getting very annoyed. For his part, Peter was extremely proud that he'd been able to keep at something that so clearly had 'failure' written on it for such a long time.

Maybe he was developing perseverance!

"Well, I think we could sit here for another four hours and we wouldn't get any further along with the Slytherins. I'd say they aren't meeting here tonight. There are certainly better ways I can be spending my time," Sirius suddenly spoke, standing and removing the invisibility cloak.

Since the close call with the Slytherins in the very classroom that Sirius and Peter had been camped out in front of, the four Gryffindors had decided to keep an even closer watch on the goings on involved with that room. They would take turns sitting in front of the offending classroom and wait for the Slytherins to arrive. Then the plan was to find another professor, one more amiable than Professor McGonagall, to help open the classroom and they would have their proof. They were sure that any professor would need to actually hear the plotting before any real discipline was laid down on the Slytherins, but they were hoping their word would be enough to at least get a professor to open a locked door.

However, about a week and a half had passed and, despite near-constant surveillance of the classroom, not a single Slytherin had so much as walked passed the room. James and Sirius had also taken it upon themselves to occasionally tail people they believed were key conspirators, just in case the Slytherin's had decided to meet somewhere else after being found out. That tactic also lead them nowhere.

Peter was willing to start the talk of giving up again, writing this off as just another in his long list of defeats and failures. However, James, Sirius, and Remus seemed to have found a new resolve and forged on, full steam ahead.

Peter and Sirius walked into the Gryffindor common room only seconds before curfew, which earned the pair a suspicious look from prefect Frank. They found James and Remus sitting in front of the fireplace, discussing a large stack of papers they'd spread out between them.

"If you do it that way," Remus whispered to James, the rest of his sentence to quiet to hear. The sandy haired boy had his face scrunched tight as he thoughtfully scrutinized a particular sheet of parchment. Peter recognized that the two were hard at work with the quartets back up plan. If they couldn't clear their names, then they would try to retool their reputation with a grand prank, enjoyed by everyone as opposed to reviled by them.

Sirius collapsed onto a nearby armchair, and James and Remus quickly whipped their heads, hiding their papers from the intruder. When they realised it was only Sirius and Peter, they both relaxed.

"So, anything?" James asked hopefully, despite Sirius' tired expression. All the longhaired boy did in response to his friend's question was shake his head before allowing it to loll over the back of the armchair.

"I was wondering," Remus added, still scrutinizing the parchment in his hand, "maybe the Slytherins are feeling a little heat. Maybe we got a little too close, nearly discovered something with Professor McGonagall. I know if it were me, I'd lay low for a little, try and get us to grow tired, and then resume meeting. Perhaps we should forestall our efforts for the time being, lull the Slytherins into a false sense of security. It would probably increase our chances of getting information.

James was quiet for several moments. So was Sirius, but a closer look by Peter revealed that the longhaired boy had, in fact, fallen asleep.

"Okay, Remus. Let's put a pause on the surveillance until after Easter Break. Then once we're back, we redouble our efforts and don't stop until we get somewhere! That should be enough time for the Slytherins to think we've given up. Plus, we can spend that time really focusing on our year-end prank. One way or another we're finishing first year with a bang!"

* * *

The weeks leading up to the break saw the four Gryffindors holing up in various locations throughout the castle: the common room; the library; their dormitory; even out in the Hogwart's grounds on the rare occasion that the weather cooperated. They were always surrounded by piles of paper and hard at work. Not once during this time did a single member of the four go out under the invisibility cloak to follow the Slytherins. Though several excursions were made with the cloak for reconnaissance of the castle in preparation for their prank. Their grand exit, as Sirius had dubbed it.

Then, the morning before Easter break was to start, as the owls brought in the mail at breakfast, a piece of parchment enchanted to resemble a small songbird, flew in. It was quite the sight, this small bird-shaped paper amongst the various owls, and it caught the attention of several students. When it landed in front of Sirius, he was quite surprised, though he hid it quickly.

"Probably a note from my mum. She hates the owl post. Says it's too slow and untrustworthy for her. Plus, she always likes to show of her magic," Sirius spoke loudly to the inquiring looks he received. In reality, he knew it wasn't from his mother. She'd refused to write to him since he'd been sorted into Gryffindor. The only mail he received were covert letters from his younger brother Regulus.

But this letter was also not from his brother. Being only ten, he didn't have the training or know-how to enchant parchment. Plus, flying from London was a long trip that the parchment most likely wouldn't survive. No, he was pretty sure the letter had come from someone in Hogwarts, and he had a pretty good idea who.

Opening the letter only confirmed his suspicions.

 _Meet me at the spot. Tonight. After dinner. –MS_

And that is what Sirius had done. He had left his friends hard at work on their prank in the library, and as inconspicuously as possible, began making his way through the hallways of Hogwarts to the dead-end with the goblin statue. Moira must have some vitally important information for him. Why else would she write him? She could have easily let him know she hadn't gotten anywhere by coming up to him after a class, or in the library. But she didn't. She'd contacted him anonymously. She had to have something!

When Sirius arrived at their arranged meeting place, he found it empty. He must have been early. After dinner wasn't a very specific meeting time. Settling in for an undetermined amount of time, Sirius pictured all the things he, James, Remus, and Peter could get up to, once they no longer had the broom tampering incident hanging over their heads.

After about twenty minutes, he heard a rustling from the other side of the statue. Moira appeared in the void, her expression unreadable. The dark definitely wasn't helping, but Moira also wasn't giving Sirius any emotional signs. Was she happy? Was she victorious? Was she nervous? All Sirius could read was a slight annoyance. But Moira usually looked annoyed in his presence.

"Well?" Sirius asked after she wasn't immediately forthcoming. Moira looked down at her feet momentarily, before turning back to Sirius. Her previously stony expression was replaced with a slight sadness.

"I've got nothing. None of the upperclassmen have left the dormitory in a week. They go to class, eat meals, and then sit in a corner and goof off. Apparently, it isn't only you and your friends who find Severus as an easy target." Moira muttered the last bit. Sirius felt suddenly crestfallen.

"Well, are there rumours? Surely Slytherins are talking? No one is bragging about how they've gotten one over on Gryffindor?" Sirius asked, hopeful that there was something.

"Look," Moira responded, her annoyance returning, "I'm not sure what it's like in Gryffindor, but there is definitely a hierarchy in Slytherin. The seventh years, and especially Warrington's little group, are at the top. The first years like myself are at the bottom. There is no way they would share anything about what they've been up to. If they've even been up to something. I'm sorry."

Without waiting for a response, Moira turned a left. Sirius slide down the cool wall of the alcove. He'd been sure Moira would have been more help.

* * *

Finally, Easter Break arrived and a collective call of joy erupted from the student body. The four Gryffindors were a little less enthusiastic. They returned home to their families with only the prank on their lips. But their problem was never far from their minds. Especially since their plan b of Moira Scott had fallen through. So, when they returned from break, all four were ready to put an end to their issue, once and for all. Their first night back, the boys sat up in bed, discussing their plan, not for the prank, but for finally implicating the Slytherins in the broom tampering scandal.

"So, Sirius and I will take the first watch, so to speak. We'll go out tomorrow after class and if they are meeting, we'll try and get a professor to break it up. Hopefully we'll be able to get somewhere this time," James spoke, sounding like a general laying out his battle strategy.

"And I think Remus and Peter should spend that time continuing on with the grand exit preparations. We're almost done, but we don't want to get side tracked or anything," Sirius added. Everyone voiced their agreement and then turned in for the night. A buzz, not dissimilar to the one that was felt upon the arrival of invisibility cloak, permeated the room.

'Something,' Peter thought, as he dozed off, 'something big was going to happen tomorrow.' He could just feel it.

* * *

When the next afternoon arrived, Peter couldn't help but feel a little sidelined. He was sure that James and Sirius were going to end the whole Slytherin saga and he wasn't even going to be a part of it. Instead, he was forced to wait in the common room with Remus and just wait for what came next. Remus didn't seem to share Peter's displeasure; he had his nose buried in parchment and books, furiously scribbling notes on procedure and needed spells. Remus was perfectly fine with planning and doing behind the scenes work and leaving the actual troublemaking to James and Sirius. However, since arriving at Hogwarts and befriending the other Gryffindors, Peter had discovered that he quite enjoyed the spotlight. If there was renown and infamy to be had, Peter wanted to be a part of it.

With a dejected sigh, Peter focused on what Remus was doing. If he couldn't be on the front lines, then he'd at least try and help, have an input in the project one way or another. After only a few minutes of trying to follow what exactly Remus was doing, though, Peter found himself very confused. It was obvious the skinny boy didn't need any help or input.

Searching for something to stimulate him and help the time pass, Peter let his gaze flit across the common room. It was a cool, dreary day out, especially cruel after the silver of warmth and blue sky that had occurred only the day before. Most of Gryffindor had sought shelter indoors, spending the afternoon curled up in the common room, relaxing after studying for hours and days, or busy in the library.

As Peter let his gaze wander, he found his eyes drawn to a small group of first year girls. There were three of them spread out on a couch, books and parchment surrounding them, though Peter knew there were six girls in total. They'd been in every single class that Peter, James, Remus, and Sirius had been, and yet, Peter had never really thought about them. He'd been so busy with James and Sirius.

Peter was pretty sure the red haired girl was Lily; he'd heard James talk about her a few times, and she was friends with Snivellus. Lily seemed like a nice, kind person; you'd have to be, Peter figured, to want to befriend a Slytherin like Snape. Peter was pretty sure she was a muggle born, but she had a natural magical ability, especially when it came to charms. Several times in Flitwick's class, Peter had witnessed her superior skills.

Sitting next to Lily was a dark haired girl Peter thought was named Victoria or Veronica. She seemed fairly quiet, keeping mostly to herself. Whereas Lily had interacted with James and Sirius, mostly yelling at them, Veronica (or was it Victoria) hadn't said a word to anyone besides the other first year Gryffindor girls.

Finally, Peter's eyes moved towards the last member of the group. The petite, pretty brunette sitting beside Lily was named Marlene. Peter blushed slightly as he took the brown haired girl in. He'd first noticed her on the day of their sorting and ever since then, Peter often found his gaze drawn to Marlene. There was something about her that Peter found attractive, and he couldn't help but watch her, though not in a creepy way or anything. Today, her hair had a slight curl to it and, when it caught the sun, looked like it had golden flakes in it. Her eyes were a deep blue and seemed to sparkle with a joy Peter was unaccustomed to.

Peter wanted to continue watching Marlene and see how she moved, watch her laugh, watch as an easy smile crossed her face, but James and Sirius picked that exact moment to re-enter the common room and Peter's attention was otherwise diverted.

He turned and focused on the two figures that were slowly making their way across the room. Both had a look of such dejection that Peter felt surprised. Then, for the briefest of moments Peter felt happy at the duo's expressions. Dejection meant no success. No success meant Peter hadn't missed any glory.

"Well boys," James spoke, as he and Sirius slumped down in chairs around the table that Remus and Peter were at, "things are not going to be as easy as we thought."

"Obviously," Sirius interjected, "the lack of joyous, obnoxious dancing means we didn't achieve anything new. Trust me, when we are successful there will be a lot of dancing."

"Yes, well, anyway. It turns out our plan to lay low worked because the Slytherins were, in fact, meeting up today. In that classroom! Sirius and I were only there for a few minutes before people started showing up! We quickly went to get a professor, any one but McGonagall, to see if they could unlock the door and that we'd hopefully find more than a Quidditch meeting."

"And we flat out failed!" Sirius jumped in, slight outrage in his voice. "Apparently, Professor McGonagall had been sharing our exploits with all of the staff! They all want proof before they help, but we can't seem to get proof without their help! How will they know what we're saying is true?!" As Sirius spoke, he got more and more hysterical.

"Yeah, we found three different professors and all of them said that they wouldn't be lead on a wild goose chase without hard proof, like statements from the Slytherin team incriminating them or us witnessing them doing something against the rules. Though our word may not be worth much any more. On the third professor, Professor Flitwick, we even tried to imply that we had heard some things in the meeting, but he wasn't willing to believe us! It's like we'll need to get it in writing or have a professor overhear their conversation!" James added, a little more calm than Sirius.

The group was quiet for several seconds before Remus suddenly stood from the table.

"I may have something to help us with the professors overhearing an incriminating conversation," he stated simply before heading off towards their dorm rooms.


	22. Chapter 21: Secrets Revealed

_I'm glad I did it, partly because it was worth it, but mostly because I shall never have to do it again._

 _~Mark Twain_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

 **Secrets Revealed**

* * *

James leaned against his bedpost, anxiously watching Remus dig through his trunk. The skinny, light-haired boy had been extremely stingy on the details surrounding his solution to their lack-of-believability problem. He'd simply walked into their dorm room and begun digging through his trunk. James and Sirius had thrown him a few questions, but no answers were forthcoming. Remus had just been silently digging.

"Ahh, here it is!" he finally said, rising out of his trunk. Clutched like a precious baby in his hands was a glass-like orb. It was clear at the moment, though James knew that, once filled it would cloud over. His eyes grew wide in excitement and a feeling much like the one when he'd gotten the invisibility cloak washed over him.

"No way! Where'd you get that?" James asked, his tone incredulous. It was a recording orb, one where you could record information and store it for later. It could then be played back as many times as was necessary. However, they were exceedingly rare, extremely hard to get your hands on. Even with their immense wealth, the Potters had only ever owned one. James' father had explained that the ministry possessed nearly all orbs in existence and only a few had managed to filter into the wider market.

"My dad, ah, liberated it from his job at the Ministry when he, ah, left," Remus looked at the floor as he spoke, obviously trying to be evasive about the topic of the orb. James, recognizing that such a topic could be potentially problematic, skilfully changed the topic.

"Awesome! Now all we need is to find a way to sneak into the meeting and record what is being said. No professor, even strict Professor McGonagall, will be able to wave us off after we've got the Slytherins' own words to play for them! I know I've said this a lot, but I feel like we're so close to finally accomplishing this! We'll reveal the real culprits of the broom tampering, clear our names, and restore our sterling reputations!" James was so giddy he was nearly doing a happy dance. All they needed to do was get into a meeting. How hard could that be?

* * *

James watched as Remus ticked off another mark on a scrap of parchment he'd been holding on to. The small scrap was nearly filled with small scratch marks. Each small tick on that sheet of paper was like a knife to the heart. Remus had taken to accounting for all the attempts the group had made at getting into the Slytherin meeting, and each time they had failed. At that point, both the number of attempts and the number of failures were equal.

And that fact was extremely painful to James.

He'd thought it would be an easy task. Just follow closely behind a Slytherin as they entered into the classroom; sneak in before the door was shut and magically locked. It seemed simple enough, especially since the Slytherins tended to lumber rather slowly. They were very easy to follow.

However, the door of the classroom seemed to be enchanted to snap closed as soon as the person had crossed the threshold. It closed so fast that James had nearly lost a finger trying to follow Avery into the room. The four had tried a number of ways to keep the door open, both magically and non-magically, but nothing had worked. The door still slammed shut and locked, keeping James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter on the outside of the meeting they so desperately wanted to be inside for.

"Well," Remus mused as he silently counted up the tally marks on the parchment, "Twelfth times the charm." He tried to make his voice sound cheery, but there was a slight depressive quality to it.

"I don't think that's the saying, Remus," Sirius spoke, squinting out the window at the bright sun that hung high in the sky. The quartet was sitting in the library, supposedly studying for their upcoming finals. However, none of them were really all that involved in their studies at that moment.

Sirius was staring out the window, at what exactly, wasn't clear. Remus was busy scratching on and studying his piece of parchment. Peter was staring out across the library at a group of girls, the other Gryffindor first years. James had trained his gaze on the table two over from where they currently sat. Occupying that table was Cadwallader, a member of the Slytherin Quidditch team. He'd been working on a large paper, which involved a lot of scowling and scratching out of things.

After nearly an hour, Cadwallader seemed to give up on his essay. That, or he finished it, though James was sceptical about that one. The burly Slytherin quickly began packing up and hurried out of the library. At that, James stood, startling his otherwise distracted friends. Something about the fairly suddenness of Cadwallader's movements had triggered something in James. No one goes from intently scratching and writing on parchment to suddenly cleaning up. There wasn't a look of accomplishment, a rocking back in the chair to observe his work, or a quick second reading that James would have associated with the completion of a work that so much effort went into. There also wasn't a frustrated sigh or any throwing. Cadwallader had simply been working on his essay one moment and then, as if he realised the time, quickly packed up and left.

"We've got to go! Cadwallader is headed to a meeting right now. I just know it!" He then quickly grabbed his untouched books, stuffed them in his bag, pulled out his invisibility cloak, and nearly bolted from the library. The others scrambled to follow after, but James didn't slow down. He wasn't about to blow this opportunity. Not with school ending and the final Quidditch match of the year fast approaching.

Luckily, Cadwallader had a slow, slightly stumbling gait and this gave James, and especially Sirius, Remus, and Peter, the opportunity to catch up. The four lagged back a little until they were able to find a secluded section of hallway and disappeared beneath the invisibility cloak. Once they could no longer be spotted, they hurried to get as close to Cadwallader as they dared. Less than a meter behind, James was slightly worried that the sounds of their breathing, or their footsteps, or even the rustling of their clothes would be heard, but Cadwallader noticed nothing. Sirius shot James a look that clearly expressed the doubt the longer haired boy had in the Slytherin's intelligence. James was forced to think of something as unfunny as being discovered by an infuriated McGonagall in order to keep from bursting out in laughter.

As Cadwallader slowly trudged through the hallways, James felt his heart start to beat faster and faster. By the time the doorway of the classroom where the Slytherins had been meeting loomed into view, James' heart was beating so fast he was worried it might explode or something. Remus, who was walking directly behind the messy haired boy and must have sensed his anxiety, put a comforting hand on James' shoulder. Feeling slight relief, but also figuring that holding onto each other would help ensure they all got through the door, James grabbed hold of Remus behind him and Sirius to his right side. The other three boys all grabbed onto each other, creating a square.

The door was closed, and most likely locked, but as Cadwallader approached, it slowly opened, as if sensing his presence. However, when he was about three steps away, the door started closing again. The four Gryffindors picked up their pace, but James wasn't sure if they'd make it in time. They couldn't all out sprint because the cloak would start billowing and it was possible that their feet would become visible beneath the hem of the cloak. So they were forced to move quickly, but not really all that fast, and not fast enough to make it to the door in time. Despite the defeat settling in around his heart, James continued on. They should, at least, try to get in the door in case the universe decided to finally go in their favour.

"Hey! Cadwallader! Hold the door would you? I forgot my key!" a booming voice called out from behind the four and their target. Neither James nor any of his friends dared look, but he was pretty certain it was Bletchley, another member of the Slytherin Quidditch team, who had shouted.

Whoever it was, he caused Cadwallader to stop his progress halfway through the door and lean against it. The burly Slytherin had to put a fair amount of his weight behind the action as the door kept, quite forcefully, trying to close itself. James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus slowed their progress down a little and delicately slipped through the open door, passed a very agitated Cadwallader. Despite the overwhelming desire to celebrate this momentous success, James decided it would be best to move out of the path of the doorway and find an out of the way corner. It would no do them any good to have a Slytherin accidently bump into them while they were invisible in the Slytherins' secret meeting.

Remus, always the strategist, silently began directing the others to a back corner, away from everyone else. As quietly as they'd ever done anything in their lives, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter sat down on four seats and waited for the meeting to begin. As the realisation of what they'd accomplished hit James, a silly lopsided smile crossed his face.

Quickly enough, the Slytherins began finding seats to sit in or walls to lean against. The meeting was about to begin and everyone wanted to make sure they had a comfortable spot to spend the time. Light chatter still permeated the room, though the large amount of chatter and low volume at which each person spoke made it next to impossible to hear exactly what any one group was actually saying. James and his friends would just have to wait for the meeting to begin in earnest and hope that something incriminating would be said then.

Suddenly, a hush filled the room and Warrington, the captain of the Quidditch team and, in James' mind at least, the de facto leader of the broom tamperers, walked in. All eyes were instantly on him, especially James', Sirius', Remus', and Peter's. Warrington stood at the front of the room, carefully surveying the crowd. For a brief flash, James wondered if the older Slytherin somehow knew that the Gryffindors were in that room. But that couldn't be. It took an extremely powerful magician to see through an invisibility cloak. And this invisibility cloak seemed more powerful than most.

"Evening, gentlemen," Warrington finally spoke, his previously tense posture relaxingly slightly. Whatever Warrington had been looking for, he must not have found it. "I wanted to start off tonight with a discussion of the teams standings for the Quidditch Cup. Now, unfortunately, the determination of the winner is decidedly out of our hands. We tried our best last match to score enough goals to secure our victory, but Hufflepuff managed to score too many goals to keep our margins in the places they needed to be." Warrington shot an icy disapproving look at the Slytherin keeper who was sinking lower and lower into his seat.

James desperately fought back the annoyed, frustrated, defeated groan that quickly built inside him. It was just another Quidditch meeting! They were discussing logistics about how much Ravenclaw needed to beat Gryffindor by in order to ensure that Slytherin would still win the cup. James listened at first, hoping that Warrington would mention illegal conduct that he wanted his team to partake in to help ensure the victory, but none was forthcoming. Only the comforting, assured hand of Remus placed on James' shoulder kept the messy haired boy from jumping up and leaving the meeting.

All that hard work, combined with that rare stroke of luck, and all they managed to sneak into was a lousy Quidditch strategy meeting! It made James' blood boil and he turned to his friend, the owner of the hand currently keeping him calm, and searched his face. James was looking for something, anything, that explained how Remus, who had put in the same, if not more effort as James could remain so calm in the face of yet another set back.

"Just wait," Remus mouthed at James in response. Something in the sandy haired boy's eyes and posture put James at ease and he chose to trust his friend. Maybe they could still get something slightly incriminating and just sell it really well.

* * *

Thankfully, the Quidditch team meeting only lasted about twenty minutes. Unfortunately, nothing, not a single thing that Warrington, or any other member of the Slytherin team, said was the slightest bit incriminating. Remus' hope and optimism had obviously been misplaced. This was not their moment, despite the amount of luck and good fortune they'd had in getting into the meeting.

Maybe they shouldn't even be trying to get into meetings. Maybe all the planning of the broom tampering was happening in a corner of the Slytherin common room. Or maybe they'd stopped planning, believing they'd done enough to secure Slytherin victory. Or, and James hated thinking it, maybe it had never been the Slytherins at all. Maybe they'd spent the last few months going after the wrong perpetrators.

James slunk low in his seat, avoiding the questioning look Sirius was sending him. His friend was obviously as frustrated and hopeless as James was and he just couldn't face admitting his defeat to his friends as well as to himself. This year had so much promise, and it had so quickly gone down hill. Sure, there were positives, plenty of the them James was sure. It was just that, at that moment, he could only really recall meeting his friends. All the other thoughts and memories rattling around in his head were about things that gone wrong or the bad things that happened.

Slowly the Slytherins began to stand and filter out of the classroom. James watched Cadwallader and Bletchley leave, their heads bent in discussion, probably over Bletchley's missing key. None of the Gryffindors moved, waiting instead until the room was empty. That way their slow, depressed exit could be accomplished without the fear of being discovered.

However, after about only half of the team and its reserves had left, a strange thing occurred. Instead of more Slytherins leaving the room, a few new ones began entering. James and the others sat up, extremely curious about what was going on. As the new Slytherins, mostly sixth and seventh years, entered, no one partook in chitchat. Instead, the newcomers, as well as a smattering of the Quidditch players quickly took their seats. Once again, Warrington took his place at the front of the room.

"Evening, gentlemen. First off, I'd like to start by saying this will probably be our last meeting of the year. After you are dismissed, I strongly suggest destroying anything and everything that had to do with our goings on here over the past few months. You won't need them after this and hanging on to them is only asking to be found out.

"Now, onto the agenda for tonight. We are fast approaching the final Quidditch game of the year. Slytherin is in fairly good standing to win the cup, but it definitely isn't a sure thing. There are definitely some things that can be done to ensure victory. However, this time around, we need to be subtler. No more obvious broom tampering. Dumbledore can still call the whole thing and then all of our efforts will have been for naught.

"So, I open it up now to suggestions on how to subtly sabotage Gryffindor." As Warrington spoke, Remus had carefully reached into his school bag and pulled out his recording orb. He silently activated it and the orb began recording everything that was said within the room.

Ideas quickly passed throughout the room. Most of them, like cursing and jinxing Gryffindor players, were anything but subtle. Others, like tampering with bludgers so they were more likely to go after Gryffindors than Ravenclaws, were more appropriate. After all, like the person who made the suggestion stated, rouge bludgers were not an uncommon occurrence.

This meeting, unlike the Quidditch meeting, lasted almost an hour. It involved a fair amount of debate over the tactics that would be used, and a fair amount of planning to ensure that the tampering would not be obvious and definitely not be traced back to any of them. All in all, it was a lot of extremely incriminating information that the Gryffindors were witnesses too. And all of it was handily recorded by Remus for posterity, and as proof of the whole thing.

When the meeting finally broke out and all of the Slytherins slowly left the room -apparently curfew wasn't really a concern for a group of students willing to sink to illegal means simply in order to secure a silly house sport trophy- James felt such a sense of joy and relief. Finally! They'd finally done it! They'd gotten everything they needed to clear their names! James excitedly threw off the cloak and began dancing around the empty classroom.

"We did it! We did it! We did it!" James chanted in a sing-songy voice as he danced. Sirius quickly joined in with the dancing and chanting, linking arms with his friend and spinning in circles. Peter clapped to the beat of their chanting, but didn't join in further. Remus carefully folded the invisibility cloak and then deposited it and the now milky coloured orb into his bag.

"As much as I want to celebrate now, we're not done yet," Remus spoke, slightly dampening the mood. "We still need to bring our evidence to a professor and see what they do with it. And I think we should do it quickly. Warrington mentioned destroying other evidence that individual members possess and, if we can get a professor to act quickly enough, we may be able to save that evidence."

Remus' words had a sobering effect on the others, and James and Sirius stopped their dancing and chanting. Quickly, all four exited the room and, with newfound purpose, hurried down the corridors towards the professors' offices.


	23. Chapter 22: Telling Tales

_The man who comes with a tale about others has himself an axe to grind_

 _~Chinese Proverb_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Two**

 **Telling Tales**

* * *

The four Gryffindor boys barrelled into Professor McGonagall's office. They didn't knock or wait to be invited in. They didn't even check to see if Professor McGonagall was even in her office. Instead they just barged through the door and began excitedly talking over each other, desperately trying to get their story out.

"We got into the classroom and-"

"The Slytherin's are definitely behind the broom-"

"Alectus Warrington is the ring leader of-"

"We have undeniable proof that the Slytherins were involved-"

"We've cleared our names! It wasn't us-"

"Professor McGonagall, you have to believe-"

"We have absolute proof-"

"It was not us that did-"

Their voices mixed together and blended into an almost unintelligible mess. As they tried to talk over each other, get their point across, the each began talking louder and louder, trying to be heard over the others. All in all, it was completely ineffective.

McGonagall, for her part, was sitting at her desk. Judging from the large stack of parchment on her desk, she had been in the midst of grading a paper she had set her students when the four barged in. Her initial reaction to them was surprise, obviously not expecting a sudden arrival of four excited first years. However, after processing what she could understand of what the four were saying, her expression hardened. Slowly, she lowered her quill, pursed her lips, and, after trying to listen to four young boys talk over each other for about thirty seconds, stood from the desk.

"Enough, boys," Professor McGonagall spoke, her voice not particularly loud but commanding enough that Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter all stopped talking at exactly the same moment. For the first time since entering her office, the four took a good, appraising look of Professor McGonagall. What they saw made them shrink back a little.

"Apparently," she continued, looking down at the boys through her glasses, "your parents did not bother to teach you any manners. When entering the space of another person, you should always knock and wait to be invited in." The four boys shrunk away from her gaze and words, turning to look at each other to see who would be the person to speak for them.

"I'm really sorry Professor, but we have something really important to talk to you about! The Slytherins are plotting to sabotage the final Quidditch match of the year! We-" James spoke, alone this time, trying to explain their situation. However, he was cut off by an increasingly stern look from McGonagall.

She let out an exasperated sigh before speaking again. "I've heard quite enough of this talk against the Slytherins. This inter-house competition has gone on for far too long and I will have no more of it!"

"But, Professor!" James tried protesting, but McGonagall held up a finger, keeping him from saying anything further. Remus interpreted the situation as one where McGonagall would hear absolutely nothing from them unless it involved solid evidence. He then carefully pulled out the recording orb, a little more hesitant than he had previously been.

It had only just occurred to him that presenting an illegally gotten, highly regulated item to the strict, rule-following Professor McGonagall might not have been the best idea. What if she confiscated it? Reported it to the Ministry? That would not only get him in trouble, but also his father. He'd just have to hope that the information recorded on the ill-begotten orb was of a high enough value that McGonagall was more focused on that than the sphere itself.

As soon as the sphere cleared Remus' bag, the glow from the information held within filled the room. McGonagall's eyes instantly focused on it and a suspicious scowl formed on her face. She obviously knew that Remus shouldn't have it but was giving him the benefit of the doubt of its providence. Not wanting to give her any more time to think about the whole thing, Remus quickly began playing the recording.

The conspiratorial voices of the Slytherins began playing throughout the office.

"Evening, gentlemen. First off, I'd like to start by saying this will probably be our last meeting of the year." A quiet fell over the assembled crowd as Warrington spoke as clearly as if he'd been standing in the room. Professor McGonagall's face looked a little sceptical at first, wondering what exactly the boys had managed to record.

"Now, onto the agenda for tonight. We are fast approaching the final Quidditch game of the year. Slytherin is in fairly good standing to win the cup, but it definitely isn't a sure thing. There are definitely some things that can be done to ensure victory."

Only a few minutes into the recording, Professor McGonagall began to open her mouth. From what she'd heard that far, there wasn't anything incriminating. Were the boys trying to pass an innocent Quidditch meeting off as something more sinister. However, each boy looked at her with such pleading eyes that she decided to at least let the recording play out and see how it ended. There was still time for admonitions and lectures about proper Gryffindor behaviour.

"However, this time around, we need to be subtler. No more obvious broom tampering. Dumbledore can still call the whole thing and then all of our efforts will have been for naught. So, I open it up now to suggestions on how to subtly sabotage Gryffindor."

Remus studied Professor McGonagall's face. It went from stern, to suspicious, to concerned, and it finally settled on closed and unreadable; Remus had no idea what McGonagall was thinking as the recording came to an end and that fact unsettled him. The orb finally ended and all four boys turned their focus onto the professor. The room was silent, not a single one of them daring to say a word until McGonagall said something.

After the longest five minutes of Remus' life, Professor McGonagall moved from behind her desk and silently crossed the floor of her office. The four boys remained rooted in place, too afraid to even move lest it end up with the whole situation blowing up in their faces. For her part, McGonagall also didn't say a word as she moved across the room. It wasn't until she reached the door that she paused and finally looked at James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

"Follow, please," she commanded before leaving her office, the door left open to the foursome.

* * *

The walk through the hallways and corridors of Hogwarts was so silent that Remus swore he could hear the flapping of owl wings all the way up in the owlery. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were still far too on edge, worried about where they were going and what it would mean for them, for them to say a single word. The four of them even seemed to be holding their breath.

They remained completely silent, instead communicating through strained looks and anxious glances. Each was trying to ask the other if they knew, or had any guesses about, what was going to happen next. Were they in trouble? Were they going to be expelled for having a regulated, most likely illegal, magical object? None of them knew anything, and that only made the others more and more anxious.

Finally, they came to a stop in front of a large griffin statue.

The questioning glances continued. Remus and the others must have walked passed that very statue multiple times since arriving at Hogwarts. It was just a statue. So why had McGonagall brought them there? Was it a secret entrance, like the many the boys had previously discovered? Did it lead to a torture chamber, where the boys would be punished for using and possessing a restricted device? Panic struck Remus as one dark scenario after another played itself out in his head.

"Droobles," Professor McGonagall stated plainly, her face expressionless. From behind Remus he heard James and Sirius' stifled chuckles. Well, at least they were able to find some hilarity in the situation. For the lean, sandy haired boy, all he could see were dark and depressing scenarios. They were definitely in trouble, though for what and what it would mean for them, Remus wasn't entirely sure.

Suddenly, the statue sprung into motion and began twisting slowly upwards. As it moved, it revealed a winding staircase. Once the griffin statue was high enough that it cleared the heads of the awaiting five Gryffindors, Professor McGonagall stepped onto the staircase and motioned for the boys to follow her. Slightly hesitantly, the four of them stepped right behind her. The five of them then carefully climbed their way up to a small landing in front of a wooden door.

McGonagall knocked on the door and a muffled voice on the other side invited them in. Remus thought the voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. Was there a vindictive torturer behind that door? Did the school have a secret individual who they reserved for punishment of the absolute worst students and criminal acts?

The door opened, revealing an elegant office chock full of books. In the middle was a large, ornate desk, behind which sat Headmaster Dumbledore. Remus relaxed a little; surely Professor Dumbledore wasn't a torturer. All the interactions Remus had with the Headmaster had made the older seem genial and caring.

"Professor McGonagall, to what do I owe the honour? Your Gryffindors causing you undo trouble?" Dumbledore had a wry smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye as he silently greeted each of the four boys standing awkwardly behind McGonagall.

"They discovered something, Headmaster. Something extremely important, and I think you should hear about it," Professor McGonagall turned from Dumbledore to face the four first years. "Mr. Lupin?" Everyone turned to look at Remus. He felt his face flush red before he rather awkwardly dug through his bag in search of the orb. He'd deposited it there when Professor McGonagall had walked across her office and asked the others to join her on her trek through the hallways, and now he brought it out and played it for Professor Dumbledore.

Once again, the room quieted at the voices of the Slytherins' emanated from the glowing orb in Remus' hands. Apparently, the tale on the orb was more important than the fact of the orb. This allowed Remus to relax even more and the continual reel of dark and depressing thoughts came to a halt. He wouldn't get in trouble for having a restricted object, at least not in that moment.

Like Professor McGonagall before him, once the recording ended, Professor Dumbledore was silent for a long while. He sat behind his desk, his fingers knitted together, and he stared out at the assembly before him through his half moon glasses. After several long seconds, Dumbledore spoke. His words came out carefully, like he was weighing each one. Remus wondered if Dumbledore was trying to contain his emotions.

"Professor McGonagall, if you would please retrieve Professor Slughorn for me? There are definitely some things we need to discuss." Professor McGonagall nodded, and then headed out of the office in search of the head of Slytherin house. Remus, James, Sirius, and Peter were once again left without clear instructions and, as a result, they stood around awkwardly.

Remus took the opportunity to further observe Dumbledore's office. Most of the walls were covered with bookshelves. Nearly every square inch of bookshelf was covered with colourful spines denoting countless volumes. Remus had always been a voracious reader, not really having anything better to with his time, and not really wanting to do anything else. That being said, he was almost certain it would take him several lifetimes to read all the books in Dumbledore's office.

Other surfaces in the office were covered with strange magical objects that Remus had never seen before. He would have loved to examine them closer, but stood rooted in place. Now was not the time to see the kinds of magic that Dumbledore surrounded himself with. On one shelf though, Remus could easily see the Sorting Hat. It was quiet, as if sleeping, and Remus wondered if the Hat was only ever animated when it was performing its assigned duty. Finally, the last object Remus registered was a perch for some sort of fairly large bird, though the bird was elsewhere.

On the wall space above the bookshelves were hung portraits of men and women. The small plaques attached to each portrait informed Remus that they were all ex-Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts. Each individual moved throughout their portrait, completely oblivious to the goings-on below them. Some of the portraits were even empty. Despite that, Remus felt nervous about the size of the audience he now had. It was intimidating enough having to regale the Professors with their tale without having extra eyes on him while he did it.

Finally, after what felt like half an hour, but was probably only ten minutes, Professor McGonagall returned, a chipper Professor Slughorn in tow. He smiled first at Professor Dumbledore, who was still sitting behind his desk, before turning to James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

"You wanted to see me, Headmaster?" he spoke, his cheery demeanour slipping slightly to confusion and concern. The sight of the four Gryffindors had obviously surprised the potions professor.

"Mr. Lupin, Mr. Black, Mr. Pettigrew, and Mr. Potter discovered something about your Slytherins that I am certain you will want to hear about. Mr. Lupin, if you would be so kind as to indulge us one more time." This time, Professor Dumbledore stood and walked around to the front of his desk. Remus once again activated the orb and allowed it to play out. As Professor Slughorn listened, his face became more and more concerned and his brow became more and more furrowed. Remus took that as a good sign.

When the recording finished, Slughorn all but collapsed into an awaiting chair placed in front of Dumbledore's desk. He dragged his hand through his hair and looked expectantly at the other adults. Instead of discussing things, Dumbledore turned towards the four boys.

"Thank you so much for bringing this matter to our attention, boys. If you don't mind me asking, how did you go about getting this information?" Dumbledore didn't look accusatory, or like he was upset at them for having discovered what they did. If anything, it looked like he was curious. Remus guessed he was just trying to get the whole picture of the events of that evening.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story," James spoke, his usual confidant tone replaced with a slightly hesitant one. James shot each of the others a look, obviously making sure that he had their approval to share most of their story with the professors. Remus, Peter, and Sirius all nodded in turn.

"Back at the last Quidditch game, I spotted something suspicious with Alectus Warrington, the Slytherin Quidditch captain. We thought he might have something to do with the broom tamperings. So we decided to conduct our own investigation of sorts and see if there was any proof to support our suspicions."

"We followed the Slytherins, trying to see if they were meeting and planning," Sirius jumped in, "It took us a while, but tonight we were able to sneak into a meeting without any of the Slytherins seeing us. We then recorded the information on the orb and brought it straight here." Remus noticed that Sirius sidestepped the invisibility cloak, and internally cheered his friend. They'd already shown the staff of Hogwarts that they were in possession of one illicit magical object. They didn't need to go advertising a second.

Luckily, Dumbledore didn't question how they went unseen. Instead, he simply nodded at what the pair had said before speaking again, "The heads and I will discuss what we are going to do with this information. If you would please leave the orb for us to evaluate." Dumbledore motioned to the recording orb still clutched in Remus' hands. Slightly reluctant, Remus set it down on Dumbledore's desk. He was hesitant about whether or not he'd get it back.

"Now," Dumbledore continued, "you best be heading off to bed. Curfew is only a few minutes from now and we wouldn't want you getting into any undo trouble. Thank you," Professor Dumbledore made it clear that the boys were being dismissed back to their dorm rooms. James looked like he wanted to say something else, possibly ask what would happen to the Slytherins, but Professor McGonagall gave him a look that told him he shouldn't push his luck at the moment. Realising that there was nothing more for them to do, the four quietly exited the office.

Not one of them said a word until they were in the hallway. Then, as soon as their feet touched the ground, James and Sirius both let out whoops of pure glee. Finally, after all their hard work, they'd accomplished exactly what they wanted to. Now, they just had to wait and see how everything would shake out.


	24. Chapter 23: Something Wicked

_If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story_

 _~Orson Welles_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Three**

 **Something Wicked**

* * *

When James awoke the next day, the day after he'd finally shown Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore what the Slytherins were up to, he felt like a brand new person. He was sure his positivity and cheeriness were surrounding him like a halo, emanating out of his every pore. He basically bounced down to breakfast, restraining the happy tune he wanted to sing all the while. Sirius, Remus, and Peter all seemed to be in similar, if slightly more muted, form.

James has suspected that their revelation would be the gossip de jour during breakfast. Someone was bound to have overseen or overheard the fallout of Professors Slughorn, McGonagall, and Dumbledore's discussion. A good reaming out, and a banning or disqualification would certainly have gotten out to someone. However, there was not even the slightest wisp of a conversation about anything Slytherin. Even the Slytherins did not seem like anything occurred. Most of the prime suspects were not at breakfast, but considering the flexibility of upperclassmen's schedules and most of the Slytherins' penchant for skipping early classes, that was not all that strange.

"Do you think its possible no one knows yet?" Sirius asked, his voice not much more than a whisper. He shot furtive looks around the dining hall to truly assess the situation.

"Or maybe the professors haven't done anything to them?" Peter squeaked, his face turning paler and paler with each passing second. At his words, worried expressions crossed Remus' and Sirius' faces. James could tell they were mulling over the possibility that Slughorn, McGonagall, and Dumbledore had chosen not to act against the Slytherins responsible for the broom tampering incidents.

"No!" James exclaimed, his voice loud, but his tone cool and calm. "Professor Dumbledore was far too upset at the last match, and there was far too in depth an investigation for nothing to come of our discovery of the true culprits. Trust me, the consequences will be apparent in no time at all. We just have to be patient."

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Players and spectators!" Professor Dumbledore's voice boomed over the crowd of excited students gathered at the Hogwarts Quidditch stadium. A whole two days had passed since the four Gryffindors had turned over their evidence and yet nothing had filtered out about what, if anything had happened to the Slytherins. James and the others were really hanging their last hope on something being done at this match. Dumbledore beginning the game with a speech definitely boded well.

A wide beaming smile crossed James' face and he gently elbowed Sirius in the side. 'This is it,' he mouthed to his friend before motioning towards the teachers' section of the stands. Dumbledore stood in the small box that was usually reserved for the announcer, Karlson. Finally, in front of the whole school they were going to learn the consequences of the Slytherins' deceptive and illegal tactics.

"As I know you are all aware, several of the Quidditch matches this year have been interrupted, and nearly invalidated, by illegal broom tampering. These actions were not only against the ideals of good sportsmanship and fair play, but could have been potentially life threatening. They were cowardly acts inspired by a childish desire for a particular house and team to win the Quidditch cup." Dumbledore paused in his speech as excited and curious whispers rose up from the assembled students.

"I stand before you now to let you know the results of an investigation into these matters. New evidence has come to light that has made it very clear who is responsible. Now, some staff members have argued that the who of it all is not important for you to know." James noticed that as Dumbledore spoke he ever so slightly glanced towards Professors Slughorn and Strinkley, both Slytherins. "However, as the tamperings have affected every one of you, and not just those who play Quidditch, I felt it important that you know.

"A small group of Slytherins, composed of both members of the Slytherin Quidditch team and those not on the team, took it upon themselves to ensure a Slytherin victory. These students first tampered with their own brooms, and those of their unsuspecting teammates, to throw off any suspicions. They then tampered with the Hufflepuff brooms in an attempt to throw suspicion onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team." At the announcement of the Slytherins' guilt, a loud boisterous cheer erupted from the Gryffindor section; their names had been cleared!

"Because of their underhanded tactics, and the fact that Slytherin team captain Alectus Warrington also captained the tampering efforts, the Slytherin Quidditch team has been disqualified from the competition for the school's Quidditch cup. Warrington has been banned from Hogwarts' Quidditch for the rest of his time here, and other individuals have received various other punishments in line with their roles and responsibilities." Towards the end of his announcement, Dumbledore was forced to yell over the increasingly loud crowd. The Gryffindor students continued to cheer and shout with joy. Some Ravenclaws and a significant portion of the Hufflepuffs quickly joined in. Then, on top of that, the Slytherins began booing and hissing, upset at being disqualified. It was a cacophony of noise that filled the large open-air stadium.

Dumbledore stood at the announcer's podium in the professors' section of the stadium, allowing the noise to continue, allowing the release of emotions that the sounds signified. Finally, after about five minutes, Dumbledore stepped up to the voice projection device and cleared his throat. The sound echoed throughout the stadium and slowly it quieted down the raucous crowd. Eventually, all of the gathered students stopped talking and turned their focus back to Dumbledore.

"Now, I know that this information is quite troubling, and I want to assure you that my door, as well as the doors of all of your professors, will be open to you to discuss this and any other matters that are troubling you. However, this is supposed to be a time of revelry and sporting prowess. The main reason of our gathering here today is to play and witness a good, fair Quidditch match. In times of distress, I often find a good distraction is some of the best medicine. So without further ado," Professor Dumbledore punctuated his sentence by motioning towards the Quidditch pitch ground where Karl Broadmoor was patiently waiting to being the match. Seconds later, players from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw excitedly marched out to the awaiting crowd.

Both teams had a bounce in their steps. Gryffindor because they had been cleared of any wrongdoing. Ravenclaw because they were now leading the standings for the cup, and were in a very good position to clinch it all.

The match quickly commenced, and both teams played with a ferociousness that hadn't been present in previous matches. It was a close match, when one team would score a goal the other would do the same only seconds later. James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter were kept on the edge of their seats throughout the entire game. If Gryffindor beat Ravenclaw by 200 points, a not too difficult feat, then they could win the cup. However, there was never a time when either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw had more than a 30-point lead. Finally, after nearly three and a half hours of intense back and forth game play, the Ravenclaw seeker caught the snitch and ended the game.

Ravenclaw had won the match and, thanks to the Slytherins' disqualification, they had won the Quidditch cup. Despite their loss, the Gryffindor players and nearly every other member of the house was almost more ecstatic about the turn of events than the Ravenclaws. Gryffindor hadn't won, but neither had Slytherin. Gryffindor's reputation had been restored, and Slytherin's had been rightfully smeared. It all added up to an almost intoxicating gleefulness, and the Gryffindors chose as an outlet a loud, exuberant, and boisterous party.

* * *

"This has been the best day!" James exclaimed as he dropped down onto a couch in the Gryffindor common room beside his friends, Remus and Peter. Loud music and cheery chatter filled the room, nearly drowning out James' words. The party was in full swing and James and Sirius had been out mingling in the crowd, enjoying it all. Remus and Peter, the quieter of the four, had opted for a spot on a slightly out of the way couch where they could still be at the party and see it, but not been in the center of it all.

"Gryffindors sure know how to throw a party," Remus responded, having to yell quite a bit in order to be heard.

"That they do! And I like to think it's all for us! After all, we are responsible for the celebrations having been the ones who found the true culprits and provided irrefutable proof. Gryffindor is basically throwing a party in our honour!" James spoke smugly. He punctuated his words by crossing his hands behind his head, putting his feet up on a coffee table in front of the couch, and slouching down in a confident, yet relaxed manner.

"That seems rather cocky and bigheaded," a voice from behind James, Remus, and Peter spoke. James leaned his head over the back of the couch. Standing there, a slightly exasperated expression on her face, was Lily Evans. Her friends were standing around her, but her focus at that moment was solely on James. Peter squeaked slightly from James' right and became extremely focused on his shoes. James would have questioned his friend's actions, but he was more concerned with the petite red haired girl who'd just insulted him.

"Its not cocky and bigheaded if it's true," James responded, his head still hanging over the edge of the couch. Lily turned slightly to her friend and rolled her eyes incredulously. James, now feeling a strong affront to his name and reputation, jumped to his feet and stared Lily down.

"Didn't you hear Professor Dumbledore today? He clearly stated that new evidence had come to light that implicated the Slytherins in the broom tamperings! Well we were the ones that found that evidence and brought it to Dumbledore! If it hadn't been for us, Gryffindor would still be suspects!" James then crossed his arms defiantly, as if daring Lily to push him again.

"Well," she spoke, meeting James' challenging stare with a confident one of her own, "if you think about it, if it hadn't been for you, Gryffindor wouldn't have been suspected in the first place. After all, it was the similarity between the jinxed Quidditch brooms and Severus' broom that initially put the blame on the Gryffindor team. So..." Lily didn't complete the thought, just let it hang in the air between them.

"Maybe you should think of that the next time you want to pick on an innocent person." Lily finished her statement with a nod before turning to her friends and leaving, heading for the girls' wing of the Gryffindor dormitories. James was left standing before the couch, his mouth slightly agape.

* * *

The final weeks of school passed in a blur of studying, textbooks, and written and practical exams. Before he really knew it, James and the rest of the Hogwarts students were preparing to head home for the summer. That night would be a going away feast and then the next day everyone would board the Hogwarts Express and return to London and their families.

However, as James stood in his dormitory, packing up his scattered belongings (it was a little crazy how spread out things got when someone had a full year), he couldn't help but feel it was a bittersweet moment. James was excited to be done his first year, to have accomplished so much. He couldn't wait to get home to his parents; no matter how decedent and delicious the cooking at Hogwarts was, it could not compare to his mother's in James' opinion.

But all that was tinged with the bitterness of leaving his friends behind. They would all be returning home, spread out across the country, and would most likely not see each other for another two months. After spending every minute of every day for the past nine months, the prospect of not seeing them made James sad and hesitant to leave.

'It's not time to say goodbye yet,' James thought as he stared at his nearly packed suitcase. The train didn't leave until the next morning and there was still an evening of celebration ahead of them. Not wanting to ruin anything with his melancholia, James pushed down his blue feelings and chose to focus on the fact that he still had a few more hours with the other three Gryffindors.

He, Remus, Sirius, and Peter headed down to the end-of-term feast at their normal time, and took their normal spot at the Gryffindor table. Lily and the other first year girls sat a few spots away, similar bittersweet emotions displayed on their faces. However, James was quickly distracted from his observations –he was not staring- of Lily by the arrival of absolutely divinely smelling food.

Meals at Hogwarts were always exquisite, but there was something different about this meal, something more. The kitchen staff had really gone all out. As James and the others dug into their meal, by far the best at Hogwarts, any worries they had were driven from their minds. James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, and all of the other inhabitants of the Great Hall chatted joyously and generally enjoyed their final meals.

Dinner seamlessly transitioned into dessert and still James and the others chatted on and continued eating. They discussed their summer plans, though Sirius and Remus were a little vague on the details. All four also promised to write letters to each other throughout the summer. Also, word had gotten round through Gryffindor house that the four first years had been responsible for uncovering the truth about the broom tamperings, and several older Gryffindor students came by throughout the meal to thank and congratulate the four on their findings and their relentless work.

Finally, as the consumption of food slowed, and a general feeling of completeness began to permeate the room, Professor Dumbledore stood. He, like the start-of-term feast and other school wide celebrations, had been sitting at the head position of the staff table. As he stood, the hall quieted down, preparing for another Dumbledore speech and, more importantly, the announcement of the winner of the House Cup.

"Good evening! I trust we've all had our fill of that absolutely delicious meal. The kitchen staff have truly out done themselves! A fitting, celebratory end to this year. Now, normally I would take only a few minutes of your time to announce the winner of the House Cup, impart a few words of wisdom, and dismiss you to enjoy your final evening here. However, recent events have made it clear to me that a few more pieces of wisdom and perhaps an old man's plea are necessary. So, unfortunately, I will be taking a few more moments of your time tonight."

A murmur of concern spread throughout the Great Hall, but it quickly died down and Professor Dumbledore continued his speech. "Over the past year, a small group of students chose to lash out at others within the school for a simple sense of victory, or betterment, or superiority. This is greatly troubling. Quidditch is a terrific sport, and the thrill of competition is like nothing else. However, it is important not to get too caught up in that competition.

"Unity, both within each house and, more importantly it appears, between each house should be of the upmost concern. Division, for whatever reason, can be easily exploited and lead to destruction and devastation. From here on out, each person sitting in this room should look to focus on what we share, and not what we don't."

As Dumbledore spoke, James got a sense that the Headmaster was talking about more than just inter-house division. It was something larger with much greater, more life-altering consequences that was on his mind. What, exactly that was though, James hadn't the slightest idea.

"That being said, the staff and I have decided that, to eliminate competition now, when everyone has been working so hard, would be foolish. This year, we will award a House Cup. And we will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. But, going on, house points will be awarded in greater frequency and quantity to acts that promote inter-house unity. Acts against it will be severely discouraged and dealt with. As a wise man once said, 'United we stand. Divided we fall.'

"So, without further ado, the winner of the House cup is," Dumbledore waved his wand and the banners that had previously been black with the Hogwarts crest changed into blue and bronze with a prominent eagle. "With 1325 points, Ravenclaw!" A cheer went up from that house's table. Having concluded the festivities with the announcement, Dumbledore then dismissed the students to enjoy their final night at Hogwarts for that year.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright, as if nature itself was happy about the end of term and the freedom of the now arrived summer. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter awoke late in the morning, dressed, and packed up their last few belongings. A note posted in the common room a few days prior had notified them that their trunks would be brought down to the trains for them, so, after a quick breakfast, the boys headed down to the carriages that would transport them to the train.

However, as their carriage rattled down the path of the Hogwarts grounds, the four first year Gryffindors had one final trick, one final prank up their sleeves. About halfway down to the train station, James, Sirius, and Remus pulled out their wands and pointed them out the window at the cloudless blue sky.

"Ningo," the spoke, and the sky began to fill with white clouds. The clouds quickly darkened and then began to spill their contents, fully white snowflakes. The horseless carriages halted and the students within them poured outside, shocked at the sight. It had been nowhere near cold enough for snow only a few moments before.

Everyone stood around in amazement, watching the snow fall and blanket the Hogwarts' grounds. Some simply held out their hands to catch the flakes. Some threw their heads back and opened their mouths to catch the flakes. Despite the rapid cooling, no one seemed really upset or perturbed by it, probably too taken by the strangeness of the event to be upset.

After only a few moments, the ground around the carriages was covered with an inch of fluffy white powder. James and Sirius gave each other a look and then turned to look at Remus and Peter, signalling everyone that their plan was now well in motion. It was time for phase two.

James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter carefully moved throughout the crowd, separating from each other. Once they were in position, they, as inconspicuously as possible, bent down and gathered up some of the snow. Each boy carefully worked the snow in their hands before once again searching for each other.

"Snow ball fight!" James exclaimed before he hurtled his small, almost perfectly spherical ball into the air. The other three quickly followed suit and hurled their own snowballs. All four hit random victims, and had their desired effect. The victims, as well as several others responding to James' call bent down and began making their own snowballs. Quickly, nearly all of the students who had emptied out of the carriages were involved in a good natured battled of snow.

When James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter finally boarded the Hogwarts Express, they had splitting sides from laughter, tired cheeks from smiles, sore arms from throwing, and were covered in snow. Many of the other students were in the same or similar states. Finally, a little late, the train pulled away from Hogwarts Station. As the grand castle slowly disappeared from view, James couldn't help but think:

'What a great first year. Can't wait to see what next year has in store.'

 **The End**


End file.
